This was the story of Changez, a man who lives in Pakistan. He shares his tragic story with an obvious American visiting Pakistan as they sit in a market drinking tea and feasting on dinner.returnreturnThe story of Changez is amazing. He grew up in Pakistan, but won scholarships that allowed him to get his college degree at Princeton. After Princeton, he earned a spot in a successful financial firm in New York City where he gets constant praise from the higher-ups. He falls in love with a girl, Erica, who has a heartbreaking tale of her own.returnreturnAll goes well for Changez until 9/11 - the towers fall in NYC and suddenly people that look similar to Changez are the enemy. Along with this, he is constantly worried about the state of the world surrounding the attacks and the ensuing battles.returnreturnThis story is told completely in the form of a conversation. I truly felt as if I were sitting with Changez and eating dinner - it was beautifully written and so comfortable to read. Many of the points that Hamid makes really struck close to home - he makes excellent observations about American life and state of mind. This was an amazing read and I would recommend it to everyone.

This is about a man and his son traveling south. Something has happened to the world - most people are dead, dying, or out to kill; homes and stores have been scavenged for food and supplies; there is no electricity, no running water; it is dangerous to meet and interact with anyone. The US (I assume it's the US) has turned into some sort of silent chaos. And this man and his son simply want to make it to the coast where it is warmer and hopefully they won't freeze to death. There are interesting scenarios that test their morality and their belief and trust in each other. returnreturnI would definitely recommend this, if for the simple reason that I want someone to talk about this with! I still have lots of questions - it was like watching an episode of Lost and re-watching the movie, The Mist. Very interesting.

Michael Berg is 15 years old when he meets Hanna Schmitz, a 36 year old woman. As he visits her and gets to know her, the both fall for each other and begin their ritual: bathing and then Michael reads aloud to Hanna. One day, Hanna disappears and Michael is tormented by her absence. returnreturnHe next sees her during her trial for war crimes. He is a law students taking a seminar based on the trial of female guards in Nazi-Germany. He learns that she was a guard and was involved in an especially heinous act. returnreturnThis was such a moving story that spoke a lot to me about the importance of people's kindness towards others and how much of a difference we can make in other people's lives.

I loved it! I have yet to be disappointed by Atkinson. It was really interesting to see how choices and circumstances affect people (and their offspring) down the line.

I think this is the best Atkinson I've read yet! Completely hilarious, with a bit of a mystery that slowly unravels and then spits out at the end. It's set, of course, in Scotland and focuses on Effie, a young woman working on an English degree. She has some crazy friends (including Bob, the slacker boyfriend who really only sleeps and gets high, whom she's constantly trying to figure out a way to get rid of) who are just hilarious and an eccentric bunch of literature professors who all have tendencies to have accidents and get hurt.returnreturnThe way the novel is portrayed is in the form of a story - Effie is telling the story of what her life is like when she's at University to her mother in hopes that her mother will share the story of her own life. Effie's mother (Nora) lives on a secluded island off of the coast of Scotland and seems to be running from something. returnreturnAll in all - if you like stormy nights on a secluded island, reading about literature students, and hilarious writing - then check this one out!!

cute novella about the Queen. She discovers reading late in life and it completely distracts her from real life. That's the wonderful thing about reading, right? This was an incredibly quick read (about 120 pages), so it's wonderful for a rainy evening or a lazy weekend.

This the first book in the Inspector Gamache series. I kept hearing about this on different podcasts and decided to take the plunge into Three Pines, the small Canadian village that's not on any map. I am so glad that I did. This is the perfect contemporary cozy mystery! returnreturnA well-loved retired teacher is found dead in the woods. It's reportedly a hunting accident, but Inspector Gamache smells murder. This book dives right into eccentric personalities and small town secrets to uncover the truth. returnreturnThis was laugh out loud funny in several places, nail biting near the end, and completely charming. If you're looking for a fun mystery to take to the beach or to curl up by the fire with a cup of tea, grab this one!

This is the second installment in the Inspector Gamache series set in Three Pines, Quebec. A truly wretched woman has moved into town - CC de Poitiers - and has everyone on edge. CC claims to have created a spiritual way of life that involves feeling no emotions in order to achieve balance, which is the general theme of her life: to wipe away anything that doesn't fit with her appearance to the public. CC has a husband and daughter that she treats with disdain and tears apart on a daily basis. returnreturnNo one quite understands what drew CC to the small village because she does nothing that wouldn't bring her money or fame - and that's hard to find in Three Pines. During an annual curling tournament, CC is murdered by electrocution. No one saw what happened, so Inspector Gamache and his team track down every possibility that they can find in order to find the killer. We learn that CC's reason for moving is closely tied with her murder as Penny weaves seemingly disconnected storylines together to create a shocking ending.