THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini

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manday
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Dashing Duo

Unread post by manday »

Yes, Insom, I don't refute the idea that K-Spy and Abbs are the dashing duo when it comes to reading and writing here in our virtual home. I had known K_Spy of his multi-intelligences way back. As a matter of fact, he was my scriptwriter and writer if I needed to impress somebody. With Abbs, I was held spellbound the first time I read her previous posts the first time I visited here. The range and extent of her knowledge are astonishing. Pardon me, if I mentioned other names above, it was just part of my interactions, my intentions is not to outshine anyone over the other, instead to unearth numerous others who are also into this hobby. And I am glad that you are here and unfold the other side of you. I cannot recall anyone in our class in high school except you, who was good in writing. You were the envy of our class for you have this talent - dexterity in writing. Excuse me too, if I dabbled in here, mine is more on, as mere spectator, but often times, couldn't help but to share.

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Unread post by Alibangbang »

Man/Insom,

Huhhhhh....

Thank you ladies. You're much too kind and generous with your praises. For K-Spy, definitely YES. All the credit belongs to him. It's much too generous for me. I don’t think I deserve it. :-D

Look at you two… you both can write beautifully and eloquently as well as great readers do. Keep reading and keep writing. Write, express whatever it is that flows in your mind naturally.

I'm proud of the both of you. Keep it up and soon if not already, as Gloria Estefan says, "The Rhythm is gonna getcha" :-D :-D
Last edited by Alibangbang on Sun Aug 26, 2007 8:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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gingot
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Unread post by gingot »

k-spy,

im in the waiting list for TKR in Fully Book branches in gateway and the block(sm city north). excitement rising.... still waiting (sigh).

i just got my copy of gabriel marquez garcia's 1985 acclaimed Love in time of Cholera.
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Unread post by kampanaryo_spy »

gingot,

go for TKR; you won't regret it.

kon mo uli kaw ngadi, please bring "LOVE IN TIME OF CHOLERA." reminds me, the late tommy had it, but i forgot to borrow it from him. from marquez i only read "ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE." heard "MEMORIES OF MY MELACHOLY WHORES" is very good. but honestly, kutob da gayud ako sa tunga-tunga nan 100 YEARS (50 years?).

you see, i don't have the hots for translated material because i feel there's something lost in translation. [-X this is the same exact reason why i haven't picked up the books of Isabelle Allende even if my writer friends have been urging me to read them (especially "THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS") because her genre and also gabby marquez's---magic realism--- is the one i want to go into.

i even have "THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING" by Milan Kundera but until now it remains unread.

oi, encourage miko to read this early. lahi da gayud an ka brayetan nan bata haw mo basa outside of the classroom. =P~




insoms,

i don't read grisham with as much gusto as when i read richard north patterson and steve martini. (but i have to admit that grisham floored me with his "PAINTED HOUSE!")

for your kids, i highly recommend steve martini because i so love this guy's writing! he's much, much more superior than grisham. but then again, i could be refuted by grisham's fans.

go, find martini with his celebrated attorney Paul Madriani. let your kids start with either "COMPELLING EVIDENCE" or "UNDUE INFLUENCE." i bet they'll get hooked.....FOREVER!
Last edited by kampanaryo_spy on Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Most claims of originality are testimony to ignorance and most claims of magic are testimony to hubris." -James March-

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Unread post by badung »

K-spy,

The Guam Public Library had a "Book Sale" for the first time last Aug.24-25, 2007. So we went there and bought 5 boxes of used books. And guess what, we got the "Painted House" by John Grisham. Most of the books we bought are reference materials. But we have a good number of novels, too.

I haven't started reading TKR. But I will when I'm done with "A Thousand Splendid Suns." Thanks for your book review.

Insoms,

I do read Grisham. And also inspirational books by Og Mandino & Norman Vincent Peale.

Manday,

I don't think you are only an spectator here. You are a good player, too.
Take pride in what you have achieved through your efforts in spending a lot of time to read. You also inspire others, including me.

Abb,

Thanks for your suggestions on what to read.

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Unread post by Insomada »

K-Spy,

Painted house floored me too as to who the killer was, though at the start had me sleepy.

Tell you as story, a friend of mine left me a box of novels last year and majority of the books were of John Grisham. These exclude the books I got from our kitchen sink intentionally left by my work colleague for us to take home. Given this situation doesn't require me to do other course of action rather than to start reading what are on hand. This workmate of mine is one of your ardent fans who happend to read you Spaghetti piece. Remember I wrote about this in the other thread.

Sigi lang Kamps John Grisham's books are good for novice readers like us esp the kids. I am just deviating their habit of reading too much sports magazines to novels. You know they are all spors affecionado. Yaka award na isab gani nan Saturday, pareho silan duha. Champion in their age level in their School Tennis. Pero kapoye isab lagi abay hatod sa ila sport venues. Si Classmate sa isa, ako isab sa isa. Pag Sabado puro kami drivers nila haaaayyyyy!

Si Classmate ni Abbs gaumot isab nan Angels and Demons (si Camerlengo ni Pope). Pero ag dayon makatuyog kay tiguyang naman.


Bads,

Go for John Grisham, I like his The Testament (made me sad), The Client (luv it), A time to Kill (luv it very much), The Runaway Jury, The Brethren, The Summons, The Firm (had me into sleepless nights) etc. Ganahan kaw lagi Ning. Sa ako okey da sa lang ini kay dili sa ako kon bookworm kanimo K-Spy dili na ini an level mo.

Manday,

Try the above as well. Para may ato isab kalingawan sa ato pagtanda, aray, ha, ha, ha.


Kamps & Abbs,

Anymore suggestions for us add to our hit list. Promise ako gayod basahon. Yaon makabagbag damdamin. Thanks.

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Unread post by Insomada »

Bads,

Yes I've read Norman Vincent Paul's The Power of Positive Thinking which I dearly suggest for parents wanting to have very positive thinking children. I also read one of Australia's motivational writers Paul Hannah. I like his 21 Day word fasting technique. Here, in a span of 21 days you try to fast on uttering negative words. If ever negativity sets in one way to stop your mind from going further is to say "stop, stop, stop. Di ba Ning sins may take the form of thought, word and deed. This technique is very useful tool in stoping comitting sin through thought. My favourite is Brian Tracy, he's a legend. He came one day in Brisbane for an info seminar and I was dying to attend but my efforts were to no avail. Try him if you haven't read any of his books yet. The Chicken Soup is good as well. It is a compilation of stories that convey lessons to readers. This caters different subjects. Rigth now I got with me Chicken Soup for Teenage Souls. Good guide for my teenage boys. And of course Bads books of the famous Dr. John Gray. They are really good guide for us parents/wives.

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gingot
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Unread post by gingot »

hi K-spy,

sure i will bring Love In the Time of Cholera. i will be in surigao sept 7 via butuan for this year alumni homecoming of nico-paulinians and for the fiesta as well. for sure it will reach you through atat.

miko loves reading also. he finished the classics of Black Beauty (a. sewell), The Wizard of Oz, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (m. Twain). Still reading Huckleberry Finn. He started early at grade 3. Ako grade 5 na ako kasugod with nancy drew series.

Keep those book review coming...
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Unread post by Insomada »

Insomada wrote:Bads,

Yes I've read Norman Vincent Paul's The Power of Positive Thinking. Good guide for my teenage boys. And of course Bads books of the famous Dr. John Gray. They are really good guide for us parents/wives.


...should be Norman Vincent Peale

Sigi Ning I'll read Og Mandino, heard of him but haven't read any of his books. Thanks for the tip.


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kampanaryo_spy
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Unread post by kampanaryo_spy »

gingot wrote:k-spy,

im in the waiting list for TKR in Fully Book branches in gateway and the block(sm city north). excitement rising.... still waiting (sigh).


gingot,

i posted something about gabriel garcia marquez in my personal blog on 4 june 2007 after my recent manila trip. here goes:


"Fully Booked, at the Mall of Asia, is separated by a road from SM Department Store. When I entered it, there was but one customer at the corner stand, slyly tearing the cellophane that sealed "The Buzz" magazine.

Me (to the sales assistant): Do you have Dean Alfar's "Salamanca?"

SA: Sorry, Sir. Wala po.

Me: What about Vicente Groyon's "Sky Over Dimas?"

SA: Wala rin po, Sir.

Me: Any book then by a Filipino author?

He made me follow him to a shelf that carried, among other things: "100 Years of Solitude"; "Love in the Time of Cholera"; and "Memories of My Melancholy Whores."

I scratched my head.

Gabriel.

Garcia.

Marquez.

Oo nga naman!

***********************************


Translation is a tricky thing. This is why I don't read translated materials even how celebrated they have become. It's like this: No matter how the translator tries his best to be faithful to the original material, I just feel that something is lost in translation. Take this one, for instance.

Teacher: Juan, give me an example of a tag question.
Juan: Our teacher is beautiful, isn't she?
Teacher: Very good. Now, translate it to Filipino.
Juan: Ang aming guro ay maganda. Hindi naman, di ba?

There." :-D
"Most claims of originality are testimony to ignorance and most claims of magic are testimony to hubris." -James March-

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Unread post by Dr.X »

"The kite runner" is a very sad book. It describes the difficult lives of people in Afganistan, especially in modern days, under the Taliban rule (before the American attack). A glimpse is provided into the lives of people whom the Western world marks as enemies, showing that as always, the reality is much more complex than what the press shows. The fate of Hassan is tragic, doubly so because of his being the character readers will, without doubt, love the most. I actually yearned for a happy end, which is untypical for me, and the moment Amir rushed into the bathroom in that hotel in Islamabad I found myself with the eyes on the ceiling, thinking "no more, please, just let it end well".

The language this book is written in is simple and wonderful. Wonderful in its simplicity, I'd say. Wonderful because seeming simplicity is used to convey complex ideas and convictions, creating a highly believable story. The characters are so well built and the descriptions are so perfectly structured that it is very hard to not fall into Hosseini's narration thinking it really is a memoir.

My only criticism of this book would be that some of the plot twists are a bit unnatural, mostly the one with Assef in the end. But I guess this can be forgiven to Hosseini, who produced this masterpiece as his first novel.
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kampanaryo_spy
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Re: Bagan si Judstump

Unread post by kampanaryo_spy »

manday wrote:Speaking of Maritess, siyan yaka supo kan Iyo David (well read person) reader's digest, newsweek, asiaweek updated sa gayod sila.



manday,

i agree with you one-hundred-and-one-percent!

maritess is now reading "Brokeback Mountain" that i lent her. The book contains the 28-page story, the movie script, and new essays from the author and the mcmurty and ossana duo.
"Most claims of originality are testimony to ignorance and most claims of magic are testimony to hubris." -James March-

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Unread post by kampanaryo_spy »

Insomada wrote:
Sigi lang Kamps John Grisham's books are good for novice readers like us esp the kids.

Sa ako okey da sa lang ini kay dili sa ako kon bookworm kanimo K-Spy dili na ini an level mo.


insoms,

please don't get me wrong; it's not that i don't read grisham, it's just that i prefer other authors of legal thrillers.

grisham must be doing a good job or else he won't be the bestselling author that he is. i even agree with you that "A Time to Kill" is a good book because i like it. i also happen to love the film version.

as to other books i like, there are two i can recommend to you, and they're both written by one of my few favorite authors, irving wallace. the books are: "The Seven Minutes" (for me, this ranks up there with Pat Conroy's "The Prince of Tides" and Sidney Sheldon's "The Rage of Angels") and "The Second Lady." These two books will keep you guessing til the last page.

Below are the books' plot summaries that i stole from allreaders.com.


A) "The Seven Minutes"

"The Seven Minutes' is a novel by Irving Wallace on the subject of pornography and freedom of speech. It is about a fictional obscenity trial of a banned book, The Seven Minutes, purported to be the thoughts in a woman's mind during seven minutes of sexual intercourse.

Protagonist Michael Barret has been asked by a friend to join him in a small law partnership, but has also been offered a huge salary to go into big business. He's certain of his choice, till he is given a chance to be involved with a major case involved with protecting free speech.

The case is about the explicit book "The Seven Minutes", which some people consider pornography, while others, Barret included, feel is impressive literature. The main focus of the prosecution's case is a teenager who bought the book, and was soon after arrested for rape. According to the prosecution, the book insinuated the boy to do what he did, so it must be banned.

The novel follows the course of the trial, as both Barret and the prosecutor search for reputable witnesses to prove their side.

The book was made into film, The Seven Minutes, by Russ Meyer in 1971.

B) "The Second Lady"

The Lady of the title is a virtual clone of the American President's wife - living unfortunately in Russia. The Lady is stumbled upon by the Soviets' spymaster who hits upon a daring idea: swap the two - if temporarily - to give them access to the President's innermost secrets. Specifically, they need to determine whether the Americans have really beefed up the military position of an embattled and US-Backed African nation. As the Russian spy gains access, she soon realizes that it may take more than looks to pass for the president's wife."


Insoms, courtroom scenes don't get better than the scenes in "The Seven Minutes." And Michael Barret's search for evidence will leave you gritting your teeth, that is, if you're not biting your nails.

"The Second Lady" will leave you breathless with suspense.

Happy hunting!
Last edited by kampanaryo_spy on Thu Aug 30, 2007 10:59 am, edited 2 times in total.
"Most claims of originality are testimony to ignorance and most claims of magic are testimony to hubris." -James March-

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Unread post by seattlelegalgirl »

Kamps,

I agree with you on "The Seven Minutes" but not sure about the other book (haven't readit). This book is incredibly fascinating to read. It's an interesting legal fiction about pornography who was read by a minor who then supposedly so aroused and rapes a woman, is accused itself of rape. Some people review it as not only life affirming but exhilerating in its turns and twists.

SLG

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Unread post by Alibangbang »

Dr.X wrote:"The kite runner" is a very sad book. It describes the difficult lives of people in Afganistan, especially in modern days, under the Taliban rule (before the American attack). A glimpse is provided into the lives of people whom the Western world marks as enemies, showing that as always, the reality is much more complex than what the press shows. The fate of Hassan is tragic, doubly so because of his being the character readers will, without doubt, love the most. I actually yearned for a happy end, which is untypical for me, and the moment Amir rushed into the bathroom in that hotel in Islamabad I found myself with the eyes on the ceiling, thinking "no more, please, just let it end well".

The language this book is written in is simple and wonderful. Wonderful in its simplicity, I'd say. Wonderful because seeming simplicity is used to convey complex ideas and convictions, creating a highly believable story. The characters are so well built and the descriptions are so perfectly structured that it is very hard to not fall into Hosseini's narration thinking it really is a memoir.

My only criticism of this book would be that some of the plot twists are a bit unnatural, mostly the one with Assef in the end. But I guess this can be forgiven to Hosseini, who produced this masterpiece as his first novel.


K-Spy, I approached this book with trepidation (tear factor). Thank you. I’m most pleasantly surprise. The stuff I would have missed.

Dr. X, it really is NOT all together that sad. True it describes the difficult lives of people but to balance the story, there is humor, respect, honor, pride, loyalty and love although misplaced at times, but it’s all over the pages.

Insom…. Yes, I’ll gladly recommend you some. Hang on…

K-Spy, you asked, “tell me your thoughts of the book. PLEASE.” Well… here’s what I think.

We all know TKR’s a tearjerker. If all it offers is sadness, why was it #1 New York Times Bestseller? Below is what I’ve uncovered and I’m happy to say that TKR made me laugh and smile as much as it made me cry.

I cried because Dr. Hosseini has this knack of really pushing our emotions. His narration is well, right there in our faces. It’s almost like “young lovers” having an emotional tug of war trying to prove to each other as to who can suffer the most just to prove he/she loves the best. You know what I mean?

Let me tell you why it made me smile and laugh. For those who’ve read the book, you’d know where I’m coming from and for those who haven’t, well…you’ll know when do you.

****I smile and laugh at these scenes - - -
- Amir aping Ali (mischief we’re all guilty of)
- Baba’s opinions of Mullahs
- On the pearls...I smiled when Hassan asked: “Couldn’t he have just smelled an onion?” Clever and witty!! Also laughed because my husband bought me a plastic goggles that is supposed to make us not cry when slicing onions. It covers my face but it doesn’t work! Tears always flow every time I slice an onion.
- The scene in the car with Amir and the twins Fazila/Karima (funny because I would be crying too if someone throw up on my new dress)
- Oh ouch – it made me smile to imagine the pain on someone's face peeing with a piece of sharp eggshell. Stone yes but eggshell? Is this an afghan cliché? Or is it Hosseini’s excellent imagination?
- I laugh when I imagine the Kabul’s credit card at the time of Amir/Hassan’s youth.
- When the bomb dropped, Ali said, “They’re hunting ducks” Hunting ducks? Laughter in times of adversity
- Lets not forget to imagine what the western movie industry would be like if indeed Charles Bronson, Steve Mc Queen and John Wayne were Iranians and spoke only Farsi.
- I Imagine the VW Bus that sputtered up the street and farted it’s way across the packing lot. Like Amir and Baba I laugh until tears rolled on my cheeks too.
- We have our Erap jokes. They have their Mullah Nasruddin jokes.
- Baba's view on politics, his comments about America, Britain and Israel. "The rest of them" he said "they're like gossiping old women" :-D :-D
there's more but I think you guys got my point.

**** As for love and romance - - - refer to what passes at the flea market on Sunday mornings and check out the relationship between Amir and Soraya. (Sidebar: When I was reading this chapter, my husband was watching “Pulp Fiction” with John Travolta on TBS. I was reflecting on “yelda” and how Amir used the word to give us insight on his budding feelings towards Soraya. Absentmindedly, I asked my husband “xxxx, what happened the night after you first saw me?” He rubbernecked to the right, looked at me, blinked, looked again and had an expression on his face like I had six heads. Serves me right!.

**** Where I cry --- I cried all over the pages. But Chapter 12 is what did me in. I was weeping and sobbing unaware that my husband came into the room. I heard a couple of tsk, tsk, tsk... next I know my son was handing me a glass of water. I turned to look at him he said, “Dad said you’re crying over your book again, you have to drink this water”. My husband. He knows me like he knows the back of his hand. He knew that I’d get a throbbing headache after crying so hard. He remembered it in June, July, August of 1999 and again in Feb when I got back from my trip there, in March, April and May of this year.

My heart ached for Amir. I have siblings while he had to face it all alone.

>>>>>>

According to Dr X, “ The fate of Hassan is tragic, doubly so because of his being the character readers will, without doubt, love the most.” Dr. X, I like Hassan. Dr. Hosseini portrayed him good. BUT, too good to the point it was no longer believable. But then again Hassan is the sacrificial lamb of this piece. As for Assef, no surprise there. He was portrayed as a twisted young man. A fan of Hitler. Nazi, taliban for me, they're the same.

It’s Baba, yes Baba that stole the show for me. I like him because he had conviction. He was principled. Imagine Mrs. Dobbins; “Fifteen years I been doin’ this job and nobody’s ever done this”. Baba had class. He talked the talk, and walked the walk. He was tainted not perfect like Hassan.

“Afghans like to say: Life goes on, unmindful of beginning, end…..crises or catharsis, moving forward like a slow, dusty caravan of kochis” K-Spy, wow.... Dr. Hosseini frame this novel with Amir’s memory. He start with the memory that ended Amir and Hassan's friendship. Then, he ends it with Amir running a kite for Sohrab, Hassan’s son in order to win his friendship.

Oh let’s not forget that there’s a Filipino somewhere. Sug, I wonder if it was you. :-D

Thanks again K-Spy… a very good treat.
Last edited by Alibangbang on Sun Sep 02, 2007 10:28 am, edited 2 times in total.
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those that matter... don't mind and those that mind... don't matter." Dr. Suess

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