My Friend Leonard is about James Frey after he gets out of jail. It is the sequel to A Million Little Pieces, which told his story of going through rehab, and it left with him heading off to serve jail time. My Friend Leonard picks up right where A Million Little Pieces left off. James goes to Chicago to see his girlfriend Lily, but finds out once he gets there that she has committed suicide. The rest of the book is him dealing with life alone, with the help of Leonard and Snapper, his adopted father and Leonard’s bodyguard. Leonard is an international businessman, involved in many gambling venues around the world. As he works to make his business legal, James just works to fit into a normal life. He moves to LA to pursue a writing career, and begins to make amends with his mother and father. This is as far as I have gotten, and I don’t yet know how the book ends. First off, you won’t be able to appreciate this book the way it’s supposed to be appreciated if you haven’t first read A Million Little Pieces. There is such a deep characterization that goes on in the first book that you would be at a loss trying to pick up with the second. Also a disclaimer, these books are very raw and mature. They use a good bit of language and the subject matter (drugs, jail time, and mental instability) may be difficult for some readers to digest. I’d say that if you feel comfortable in your ability to tolerate heavy subject matter and don’t get offended by lots of language, I’d absolutely suggest this book to you. However, it is one that should be approached with caution if you’re unsure about reading it. I love it; I think it’s a great story. And I can’t wait to see how it ends.
I just finished reading A Thousand Splendind Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I chose to read it because I had previously read The Kite Runner for APLit. I had absolutely loved Kite Runner (actually read it- no SparkNotes if you take the class. It's glorious), so maybe that was why I was less enchanted with this book. This book follows the lives of two women living in Afghanistan. It is different from The Kite Runner because it describes in more detail the conditions in Afghanistan under the Soviets and the Taliban. The conditions are even worse because they are seen through the eyes of women.
One woman suffers constant abuse from her husband because she repeatedly miscarries. Another hastily accepts a marriage offer because a forbidden love affair (a highlight of the book) results in an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Many characters are killed or presumed dead from the terrible violence and bombings. Women leave their children in overcrowded orphanages to save them from starvation. Basically, Afghanistan was a terrible place to be in this era, especially for the women.
There were sweet moments, like the love story, and the way Laila and Mariam's, the two protagonists, lives intersect. However, it does not balance out the horrors that they experience. The story just didn't move me like The Kite Runner did.
So if you have to choose only one book by Hosseini, read The Kite Runner. Or if you read both, read A Thousand Splendid Suns first. Maybe that affects the reader's reaction.
I recently finished a series called the Mortal Instruments which contains 4 books. This series is about a race of people known as Shadowhunters, whose occupation is protecting the earth from demons. Shadowhunters are half human and half angel. They are stronger than normal humans and belong to a realm called the Shadow World. The Mortal Instruments, the name of the series, were the tools used to created the original Shadowhunter by the angel Raziel. There are also vampires, faeries, warlocks, and werewolves who are known as Downworlders. The Shadowhunters tend to think of themselves as better than the Downworlders but peace has been kept for the last 100 years. This series focuses around the life of a Shadowhunter whose name is Clary, and her family. Each book presents Clary and her team of Shadowhunters with a new obstacle greater and more daring than the last. Her best friend becomes a vampire, she finds out her brother is in fact half demon, meanwhile trying to find herself in the midst. I love fantasy books so this series was a perfect fit for me. I encourage people to read it because it offers adventure, romance, and a temporary magical escape that I think most readers will find enthralling.
I just recently finished the "Oh my gods" series which as of right now is a two book going on 3 series. Its very similar to the Rick Riordan books with Percy Jackson and the mythological appeal. "Oh my gods" is about a girl who is a runner and strives to be the best she possibly can in it. Her mom returns from vacation with a new finance, and plan to move to where he lives. The island he lives has a school for "demi-gods" and each pupil there has a certain power. She is in shock and out of sorts when she hears all this informtation. Many conflicts pop up that she must overcome with the help of her new friends. I definetly encourage others to read it. It's light-hearted but it's a great interesting read. Wish i could go more into a better summary of the books, but don't want to spoil the story. But anyone who enjoyed the Percy Jackson series, this is an equivalent but more from a girls perepctive.
My Friend Leonard is about James Frey after he gets out of jail. It is the sequel to A Million Little Pieces, which told his story of going through rehab, and it left with him heading off to serve jail time. My Friend Leonard picks up right where A Million Little Pieces left off. James goes to Chicago to see his girlfriend Lily, but finds out once he gets there that she has committed suicide. The rest of the book is him dealing with life alone, with the help of Leonard and Snapper, his adopted father and Leonard’s bodyguard. Leonard is an international businessman, involved in many gambling venues around the world. As he works to make his business legal, James just works to fit into a normal life. He moves to LA to pursue a writing career, and begins to make amends with his mother and father. This is as far as I have gotten, and I don’t yet know how the book ends.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, you won’t be able to appreciate this book the way it’s supposed to be appreciated if you haven’t first read A Million Little Pieces. There is such a deep characterization that goes on in the first book that you would be at a loss trying to pick up with the second. Also a disclaimer, these books are very raw and mature. They use a good bit of language and the subject matter (drugs, jail time, and mental instability) may be difficult for some readers to digest. I’d say that if you feel comfortable in your ability to tolerate heavy subject matter and don’t get offended by lots of language, I’d absolutely suggest this book to you. However, it is one that should be approached with caution if you’re unsure about reading it. I love it; I think it’s a great story. And I can’t wait to see how it ends.
I just finished reading A Thousand Splendind Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I chose to read it because I had previously read The Kite Runner for APLit. I had absolutely loved Kite Runner (actually read it- no SparkNotes if you take the class. It's glorious), so maybe that was why I was less enchanted with this book. This book follows the lives of two women living in Afghanistan. It is different from The Kite Runner because it describes in more detail the conditions in Afghanistan under the Soviets and the Taliban. The conditions are even worse because they are seen through the eyes of women.
ReplyDeleteOne woman suffers constant abuse from her husband because she repeatedly miscarries. Another hastily accepts a marriage offer because a forbidden love affair (a highlight of the book) results in an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Many characters are killed or presumed dead from the terrible violence and bombings. Women leave their children in overcrowded orphanages to save them from starvation. Basically, Afghanistan was a terrible place to be in this era, especially for the women.
There were sweet moments, like the love story, and the way Laila and Mariam's, the two protagonists, lives intersect. However, it does not balance out the horrors that they experience. The story just didn't move me like The Kite Runner did.
So if you have to choose only one book by Hosseini, read The Kite Runner. Or if you read both, read A Thousand Splendid Suns first. Maybe that affects the reader's reaction.
I recently finished a series called the Mortal Instruments which contains 4 books. This series is about a race of people known as Shadowhunters, whose occupation is protecting the earth from demons. Shadowhunters are half human and half angel. They are stronger than normal humans and belong to a realm called the Shadow World. The Mortal Instruments, the name of the series, were the tools used to created the original Shadowhunter by the angel Raziel. There are also vampires, faeries, warlocks, and werewolves who are known as Downworlders. The Shadowhunters tend to think of themselves as better than the Downworlders but peace has been kept for the last 100 years. This series focuses around the life of a Shadowhunter whose name is Clary, and her family. Each book presents Clary and her team of Shadowhunters with a new obstacle greater and more daring than the last. Her best friend becomes a vampire, she finds out her brother is in fact half demon, meanwhile trying to find herself in the midst. I love fantasy books so this series was a perfect fit for me. I encourage people to read it because it offers adventure, romance, and a temporary magical escape that I think most readers will find enthralling.
ReplyDeleteI just recently finished the "Oh my gods" series which as of right now is a two book going on 3 series.
ReplyDeleteIts very similar to the Rick Riordan books with Percy Jackson and the mythological appeal.
"Oh my gods" is about a girl who is a runner and strives to be the best she possibly can in it. Her mom returns from vacation with a new finance, and plan to move to where he lives.
The island he lives has a school for "demi-gods" and each pupil there has a certain power. She is in shock and out of sorts when she hears all this informtation.
Many conflicts pop up that she must overcome with the help of her new friends.
I definetly encourage others to read it. It's light-hearted but it's a great interesting read.
Wish i could go more into a better summary of the books, but don't want to spoil the story.
But anyone who enjoyed the Percy Jackson series, this is an equivalent but more from a girls perepctive.