Book notes

I recently read, in one of Andrew Kern's posts, a definition of writing. He defines writing this way:

Writing is the overflow of the soul into a pattern of words encoded in visual symbols (letters or hierogliphs) for the purpose of communication.

He goes on to point out that most of the teaching of writing occurs in the second and third parts of writing: putting into a pattern of words, and communicating. But none of that is meaningful without the overflow of the soul.

A couple of days ago, I finished reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I think it is book born out of the overflow of the soul. It was a book full of beauty and brutality. At times it was very difficult to read. And at times it moved me to tears. The prose and description are beautiful, heart-wrenching. Mr. Hosseini manages to tell a gripping tale, full of love for the Afghanistan-that-was, and yet not without hope for the Afghanistan-that-is. Somehow, amid the many opportunities to turn overly smarmy, he avoids that and gives us something ringing of truth. And he takes a hard look at guilt and the need for redemption.

Though this book is brutal, and despite the fact that the hero figure "discovers" Islam as a sort of comfort despite its emptiness, I highly recommend this book to mature readers. It is a moving portrayal of cowardice and guilt, and the consequences of fleeing from them. And it ends with just a hint of hope. I'm going to have get a copy of Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Have any of you read these, Gentle Readers? I would love to hear your ideas!

And to correct my last Book notes post, I have, indeed, read another Thomas Hardy novel. I read Tess of the D'Urbervilles back in high school or college. It was so depressing, and so different, in my memory at least, from Far from the Maddding Crowd, that I forgot it was also a Hardy novel.

I am one section into Daisy Miller by Henry James. Hmm. Don't know if I'll like this one, but I'll give it a try while I take my walks.

And while I sew or do handwork, I am listening to another of Orson Scott Card's novels, this one the first book of the Alvin Maker series, Seventh Son. Card is a compelling and entertaining story teller, and we'll see if I can overlook his Mormon predilection and still enjoy his tale.

And lastly, Al Mohler gives us his summer reading list here. I'm not sure I'll be picking up lots of these, since they are all military-type themes, and that's not necessarily one of my favorites, but there are many good non-fiction titles there for you history buffs and war mongers.

Happy reading, Gentle Readers!