Read Runners discussion

The cosy corner for Sushi and me to read some books together, procrastinate and tell wondrous stories of whatever. (Lurkers don't be shy!)

Currently Reading:



Completed:


Planned:

New buddies on the block!

Good luck for your buddy reads.:)

Read Kite Runner last year, a recommendation from my buddy. Its was a delightful read. Hope you two enjoy it.

Hi Manju, thanks for the kind words!

I don't know how it'll come out since we both have no experiwnce with such threads.

Anyway, I'm officially starting Kite Runner. I've heard a lot of good things about the author too

Awesomesauce...feeling professional on so many levels right now but let's get this party started!! :D

So I was just going over the acknowledgements( I know, I can't believe myself either) but this one phrase, "noor of my eyes" caught my interest...turns out it stems from the kohiNOOR diamond(which is this famous 105-carot that's originally from MY HOMETOWN!!!!) so loosely translates to "light of my eyes" I guess...I'm getting a Game of Thrones vibe from this now, the whole "my sun and stars" and "moon of my life" thing Dany and Kahl Drogo do :D you watch the series karola?

and so naturally, I had the annoying urge to enlighten myself with more useless information about diamonds instead of just reading the damn book like a normal person would, and found out that Koh-i-Noor actually stands for “Mountain of Light” in Persian. And it's far from the biggest diamond which is MORE THAN 3000 carats (no, i didn't mess up my zeros and yes, that's three thousand)! “Sergio”, a black carbonado diamond from Brazil discovered in 1893, beats all its rivals for weight. These so-called black diamonds are rare and scientists are still in debate over their origins. There are some that believe these black diamonds come from outer space, having travelled to Earth as fragments of an ancient meteor.

Hahahaha Sushi, the moment you wrote about "light of my eyes" I also immediately thought of Game of Thrones. I jumped straight into the text, I'm currently in chapter four. Though I had to do some check ups for certain names like "Hazara", etc.

I haven't read much of Middle Eastern literature yet ( Three Daughters being the one exception) so it feels a bit overwhelming at first (thank you kindle for implementing wikipedia! ), but I really enjoy the narration, even though I'm so overfed with the first person narrator. You can sense this premonition of something very sad right from the start, which makes for a great atmosphere :)

You seem to be a total procrastinator, even when it comes to reading ^^

(Yeah, I too feel so awesomely pro with our Buddy Read :D likeall these people who had these kinds of topics for years now, and have thousands of posts tehe).

Ahhhh my secret's out to the whole world now!!!(I just noticed that this thread has got a dozen views -top right hand corner- which means there are a bunch of creepers nosing around-*not that we mind or anything so you guys can continue your creeping*) but Yes, I procrastinate happily in every and any way possible! :P

Love the cute little chapters in this book! The first one barely filled up a page! :D But then, that means we've probably have around a hundred chapters, but they're cute and little (like Lupin) so I'm not complaining ;)

Maybe it counts every view we do of the topic as well? But there are creepers - even here (i have to filter all my invitations :/ )

I've checked on kindle - there are 25 chapters (unless, there is sometihng wrong with my table of contents).

Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard. And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words. Mine was Baba. His was Amir. My name.
So his storytelling and word building skills weren't exaggerated after all. Friendship is so underrated in books these days, I'm glad this is what The Kite Runner's all about. Wiz Khalifa's 'See you again' would be the perfect soundtrack don't you think? :D

New buddies after a while!
Welcome, guys! Have fun. :D

And don't mind the lurking. That's what we do all day out here. :P

loooool lurk your heart out Poulomi TONKS :P (HP right?)
And thank you :D

And that book is one of my favorites. It was an emotional ride, all through.

"For you, a thousand times over."

Still strikes the sensitive chords in me. :)

Will keep looking out for more updates here.

All the best to the new buddies! Kite Runner has a special place in my heart in that it brought me back to reading after a long hiatus.

Hi Rebecca, thanks for the kind words :) SO far I'm really liking Kite Runner

Halfway through chapter three and it's got a special place in my heart already! :D
My father was a force of nature, a towering Pashtun specimen with a thick beard, a wayward crop of curly brown hair as unruly as the man himself, hands that looked capable of uprooting a willow tree, and a black glare that would “drop the devil to his knees begging for mercy,” as Rahim Khan used to say. At parties, when all sixfoot-five of him thundered into the room, attention shifted to him like sunflowers turning to the sun. Every paragraph is a goddamn work of art!! I'm a Hosseini fan already!

Did you get to the part where Amir narrates Hassan's birth? It's so poetic and touching:

"because, even in birth, Hassan was true to his nature: He was incapable of hurting anyone. A few grunts, a couple of pushes, and out came Hassan. Out he came smiling."

It's true, he writes very skillfully, I think I'll devour this book pretty fast.

yeah I did. It really is poetic isn't it...the whole book is a melody. It's reminding me of the last historical fiction I read (All the light we cannot see-Anthony Doerr). The way he depicts everything and takes our breath away with just words. I like how these historical dramas make us realize how unintentionally biased we are...and that there are no bad guys or good guys in war. It's all a result of some dumbass decision by an even dumber ruler that brings turmoil to the whole country.
The Hindi kid would soon learn what the British learned earlier in the century, and what the Russians would eventually learn by the late 1980s: that Afghans are an independent people. Afghans cherish custom but abhor rules. And so it was with kite fighting. The rules were simple: No rules. Fly your kite. Cut the opponents. Good luck.
I love their rules :D

Sushi wrote: "loooool lurk your heart out Poulomi TONKS :P (HP right?)
And thank you :D"

Yeah, HP lol! :P
Call me Tonks/Polo. The real version irks me, now that I have so many nicks. :P

What genre do you like? (To both)

don't really have a specific genre, so we just experiment with a little of everything ;)

OMFG I am SO ready to gouge out Amirs' eyes right now and shake some sense into him!!! HOW COULD HE DO THAT TO THE ONLY PERSON WHO ACTUALLY GIVES A DAMN ABOUT HIM. I mean I get it, everybody has got flaws and imperfections, but his whiny little ass better get its shit together. I actually completely understand why his Dad wants nothing to do with him. :I

@Tonks - I like most of the books and try to overlook genres (they often breed misconceptions about what to expect from a certain title). The only thing I never touch though are the self-improvement guides...

@Sushi - I read that part too, last night. I was so shocked and terrified! I am glad Amir never forgiven himself, did you also read about his birthday few months after what happened to Hassan? I was shaken to the core, not only because Hassan was so pure and good, and a terrible thing has happened to him, but also because of the way Amir treated Hassan afterwards. Spoiled brat...

I KNOW RIGHT!! Amir has his priorities so screwed up. He tries so hard to please his Baba...like that kite tournament scene and the graduation. I really like Baba though. We have a biased first person narrative from self-pitying Amir, so it's easy to overlook everything else Baba does. He might not be the best father but he's an awesome human being.

Hassan is such a sweetheart and the way he accepted the crime that wasn't his just to save Amirs' insane ass just shows his integrity, even though he was just a child when that happened. Makes me think about how fragile happiness really is. It's like that glass thread they use to fly the kite. One wrong move, one cut and everything you know comes tumbling down.

What goes around comes around. Karma ;) Loved what happened to one of the bullys' cronies in the caravan later in the story.

You were right about the sad atmosphere of the book. It's like a beautiful but sad song, the whole book. Gripping though. It's such a stark contrast to the Lunar Chronicles, where everything is all cheerful and everybody communicates with only sarcasm.

Have you gotten to the Soraya part yet?? looool *major eye roll*

Hmm seems like I need to catch up, I'm settled in the forest now and starting chapter 9.

I'm glad to know though that Karma will get to the people who hurt Hassan.

I love the way you described happiness, it's very sharp.

on the more technical side, I really enjoy the way narration is twisted - how even though we get to knowthe world through Amir's eyes, Hassan is the center of the story. And agree about Baba, I also feel like there is more to the fact that he is cold towards Amir, than what we are lead to believe.

I would be cold towards Amir too if I had a son like that...thank god he grows up to be a slightly better man.

What do you think of the insta love eye contact? (excuse me while I grab a plastic bag and puke out the remnants of my dinner)

I miss having Hassan in the story though, it was much better with the both of them together. He'll be coming back though right? At least to say his famous line "For you, a thousand times over" again? I don't see why he's so devoted and loyal to a undeserving prick like Amir though.

I'm 75% done (five chapters left). Yes, Amir goes back to Afghanistan after the call from Rahim Khan that is mentioned at the beginning of the novel.

I loathed the fact that Amir found true love with Soraya. He did so many bad things - not only did he sacrificed Hassan's inocence but drove him away too. But there is much more to Hassan's figure than I could ever imagine at first.

This book is so powerful, I cannot fully express the deep emotions it stirs in me. I think it's also a great argument in the current political situation too, especially for those who generalise all of the Muslim. I'm definitely finishing this one Today!

I'm done, I cried, I loved it!

ahhhhhh you cried?? for real??? Okay, I've got to catch up ASAP.

yes, the whole story unfolds in a very touching way. Hurry up, I'd live to discuss it with you :)

“No,” I breathed. “--and order him to kneel--” “No. God, no.” “--and shot him in the back of the head.” “--Farzana came screaming and attacked them--” “No.” “--shot her too. Self-defense, they claimed later--” But all I could manage was to whisper “No. No. No” over and over again.

everytime he said 'no', I couldn't help but say one too. Goddamn. I have goosebumps all over now!!!

And brotherhood just took on a WHOLE new meaning!!!!!!!!!!

Yes! As I said before, I expected that there is more to Baba's attitude towards Amir than just the fact that his mother died in labour... I really like the way later on Amir sums up what Hassan represented when it came to their father.

SHIT HE CANT BE DEAD. I couldn't stop reading yesterday and now, it's like 1;30 a.m. here(my usual reading time) and I can't get myself to read cuz of the 'Ava' book I picked up in between thinking I was going too fast on this one. Stupid of me, you're such a fast reader!! I'll finish up real soon though, can't wait to see how it ends since YOU said it left you "speechless" and I have a feeling you're not a one to throw that word around to just any book. I'm loving how it's all unfolding though. But HE CANT BE DEAD.

don't worry, I was,faster than usual with this one, because I have some time off and I'm out of town.

"Come. There is a way to be good again." These simple words saod by Rahim seemed very powerful to me. And the second part of the story feels very different than the first.

Yes, this novel had everything right for me, and I really enjoyed the way so many feelings and human drama was put in simple yet poetic words. Read on :)

I was about to go back inside when I heard voices coming from the house. I recognized one as Wahid’s. “--nothing left for the children.” “We’re hungry but we’re not savages! He is a guest! What was I supposed to do?” he said in a strained voice. “--to find something tomorrow” She sounded near tears. “What do I feed--” I tiptoed away. I understood now why the boys hadn’t shown any interest in the watch. They hadn’t been staring at the watch at all. They’d been staring at my food.

Well, shit.

yes... Afghanistan under Taliban rule... it's terrifying. I was shocked when I was comparing Kabul from Amir's childhood to the one he visits back in 2001

" Choking on
my own teeth, swallowing them, thinking about all the countless hours I’d spent flossing and brushing." looool is it wrong that I'm laughing at this scene....and OMG It's that blond idiot!!

"They all ask questions. Do I know who I am? Do I hurt anywhere? I know who I am and I hurt everywhere."
YES. YES. YES!!!
I can't help it, I'm ecstatic he got thrashed! ahhah and how the bully became One-eyed Assef after all. Talk about karma. :D
I love this one expression that's been used throughout the book "piss on your beard" it's cracking me up

yes, if there is one thing in this book I didn't like, it was the surprising appearance of Asef (probably spelled him wrong), on the other hand what Sohrab did during the fight was a truly poetic justice.

Even Amir knew he was supposed to be trashed, and found peace in it. Sad part is, that it was too little too late...

(P.S. I loved Kite Runner, and I love our thread, we should do this buddy read thing again and again - if you want to of course ^^ )

"And so it was that, about a week later, we crossed a strip of warm, black tarmac and I brought Hassan’s son from Afghanistan to America, lifting him from the certainty of turmoil and dropping him in a turmoil of uncertainty. "

The wordplay here has me all mesmerized!! <3 Ahhhh THANK YOU Khaled Hosseini for this gem of a book.

Yeah, just finished. (and yes I might have sweated through my eyes a little :P) That hospital scene though! Hassan will have my heart forever, that sweet kid. And HIS kid Sohrab....damn, that was tragic.....everything that he went through, losing everything he once called his, finding out everything he once believed in was a lie, and UGHHHH that harassment he had to endure with Assef(I WILL FIND HIM AND TURN INTO A CANNIBAL JUST FOR HIM)

I really liked the way he chose to end it though.
"his eyes suddenly alert. Awake. Alive. I wondered when I had forgotten that, despite everything, he was still just a child. "
"“For you, a thousand times over,” I heard myself say. Then I turned and ran. It was only a smile, nothing more. It didn’t make everything all right. It didn’t make anything all right. Only a smile. A tiny thing. A leaf in the woods, shaking in the wake of a startled bird’s flight. "
So it turns out I do have a soul after all.
And it's bawling like a little bitch now.
*stuffs face with m&ms and sour skittles that were supposed to last at least a week*

I'm definitely picking up more of Hosseini's books sometime in the future.

I am really glad we picked this story! It was a real gem indeed (reminds me of the beginning of our BR where you were checking up the diamonds).

I am also charmed by the way everything was constructed. The finale was a perfect bittersweet combination.

Lolita

This one is bound to be an exciting read! :D

hahah just saw that first message...and yes, we do procrastinate wonderfully together don't we? ;D

Yes, that's why I thought it was best to add a bit of introduction to fellow lurkers who will sneak into our thread :)

Have you started Lolita yet? I plan to today, but since I'm back at work and blah blah blah I'm not sure how this plan will really go (plus tonight is the new episode of Game of Thrones!!)

So very considerate of you Karola, keeping our dear lurkers in mind ;D

And no I haven't yet but I'm about to!

Useless info of the day:

http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index...

AND

And a little etymology as well:

The word Satyr came to be associated with sexuality, sex addiction and men who crave sex all the time.

Even now, men who are highly sexual are called "Satyrs".

The primary feature of the Satyr that visually distinguishes it from a normal man is it's horns and goat-like features.

Therefore, "horny"

The etymology for "horny" really blew my mind. I knew about the Satyrs and mythology, but this...

Yeah, now I feel ready, I'm rolling off to bed earlier to have a first nice glimpse into a deranged mind (i've seen your private message and will reprly tomorrow morning!)