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I am still reading Gone with the Wind! I just started a new job, so my reading time is limited. I have not read GWTW since high school and some of it as coming as a surprise since the movie apparently is more stuck in my memory than the book is. Scarlet was 16 when the book starts and she marries her first husband! By the time that she and Rhett begin their flirtation in Atlanta, she was 17 and he was 37. Times have changed...
I finished this a few weeks ago, hard to put down, great book with some unexpected twist. Left me wanting to learn more about the Afghan culture prior to their war years.
I recommend Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez. It's nonfiction and a great insight into Afghan culture and in particular the women's lives. The author, an American, opened a beauty school in Afghanistan. Interesting cultural journey for all involved.....
The Sewing Circles of Herat by Christina Lamb is exceptional, IMO. It's biographical and the sewing circles are secret underground schools for girls run by women in Afghanistan. True story.
The first book I read about Afghanistan and the one that has moved me the most is An Unexpected Light by Jason Elliot. It's pitched as a travelogue but it is so much more. If you want to get to know the Afghan culture then this is the book for you. It's nonfiction and so beautiful. I love the book. I actually cried when I finished it because I didn't want it to be over.
Another great one is A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby. Again, it's nonfiction and was written in the 1950's I think. Two Brits decided to climb a mountain in Afghanistan. A very big mountain. The Hindu Kush is a sub-range of the Himalayas. I laughed throughout the book because these fellows had no idea what they were attempting. They prepared by climbing a hill in Wales first and figured they were ready. They had to walk through Afghanistan to get there. Keeping in mind that Afghanistan is just a little smaller than Texas it was quite a stroll. They say that if Afghanistan was to be ironed flat it would be the size of Alaska.
There is a novel that I read, too. It's about a well-to-do Afghan family in Kabul. Four kids who take different roads in their lives. This book serves to show us the culture of the country and how different people react to it in different ways. Alas, I can't remember the title of it. I know I have it around here somewhere and I WILL find it and let you know the title.
Had to give up on 'Velva Jean Learns To Drive'-Too much god-talk/preaching mixed with cussing,including God's name in vain!
Really weird book,was funny at the start with the 10 year old protagonist[Velva Jean] fearful of not being 'saved' after her daddy told her she would go to hell if she died,and her older brother confirmed that they were both most likely going to hell.
She becomes desperate to get saved at a revival when moonshiners and many other bad folks at the altar with her are getting saved and speaking in tongues,but she feels nothing.
Lots of good stuff about the hypocrisy and phoniness of religion,but finally all the cussing and sad tragedies that befall Velma Jean despite her being 'saved',plus the god-talk and cussing just caused me to not even care anymore and I quit reading at about page 200.
Not an enjoyable read,and glad it was my library's copy.
Now I will finish 'Into The Whirlwind',but also want to start ~Birdology: Adventures with Hip Hop Parrots, Cantankerous Cassowaries, Crabby Crows, Peripatetic Pigeons, Hens, Hawks, and Hummingbirds by Sy Montgomery
Have read The Paying Guests, Fingersmith and The Little Stranger. All steeped in the history of each setting, with vivid characterization, intriguing plots and beautiful prose. Probably liked Fingersmith the best, but enjoyed all three.
I read this years ago and it's one of my favorites. I should pull it off the shelf and read it again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pinetreelover
I am still reading Gone with the Wind! I just started a new job, so my reading time is limited. I have not read GWTW since high school and some of it as coming as a surprise since the movie apparently is more stuck in my memory than the book is. Scarlet was 16 when the book starts and she marries her first husband! By the time that she and Rhett begin their flirtation in Atlanta, she was 17 and he was 37. Times have changed...
When I read this (also many years ago) I was surprised how different it was from the movie. I've got a copy my Mom bought around the time it came out. It's another one I need to pull off the shelf and reread.
I remember a discussion about the book Wolf Hall here and I just discovered that PBS is presenting the show on Masterpiece Theater. There was no date listed. Oliver Cromwell is one of my least favorite historic characters but I have the feeling that PBS will present a delish show because the court of Henry VIII was full of all kinds of scathing intrigue. I like that as long as it is not in my personal life.
I'll have to keep my eyes open for this. I bought Wolf Hall and the sequel based on the recommendations in this thread but it's sitting in my excessively large TBR pile (actually, it's more than one pile but I refuse to be more specific).
but also want to start ~Birdology: Adventures with Hip Hop Parrots, Cantankerous Cassowaries, Crabby Crows, Peripatetic Pigeons, Hens, Hawks, and Hummingbirds by Sy Montgomery
It looks interesting, please let me know how you like it.
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