The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

A great book to top of the end of a great summer. I started asking a few people I knew if they have read, or at least heard of, The Kite Runner, by Majority of the replies were something along the lines of "That book... is amazing. You HAVE to read it!" I was finally coerced into reading this book after I received the same reply over and over again. After getting my hand on a copy and reading it, I have to say this: This is one of the best books that I have ever read. Normally, when someone says this, they call all of their books, their 'favorite books', however, this is definitely among one of the bests, for me at least. The book tells the story of man named Amir who recalls past events in his life that changed him as a person. He used to live back in Afghanistan with his father Baba. They were very wealthy and they had two servants, Ali and his son, Hassen. This story displays many acts of kindness, and many acts that others would look down upon. What of the most important parts in the book is when Amir and Hassen participate in the "Kite fighting", which sounds exactly like what it is. You try to knock the kite out of your opponent's hand. Before the match, started, however, the strong winds blew the kite out of his hand. Shocked, Hassen dashed after it, he told Amir not to follow him. After Amir lost sight of Hassen, he decided to ignore his words and follow him. After following him for what seems like a very long time, he found him at the dead end of an alley way. What he witnessed though, was of no laughing matter. Hassen was getting molested by three other boys competing in the contest, Assef, Wali and Kamal. Amir wanted to jump in and help, but he believed that it would upset Hassen that he disobeyed him, so he went back to the place where the contest was being held. From this we can tell that Amir is also very timid, just like Meggie from the book Inkheart. Another important part of the book is when Amir stashes money and a gold watch in Hassen's pillow. He then tells his father that Hassen stole from their house. With this being said, Baba banishes Hassen and Ali from their house. Amir doesn't say why he does this though, so it's up for interpretation. My take on it is that he couldn't handle the grief of not being able to help Hassen while he was getting molested by the three boys. Therefore, he had to find a way to dispose of him from his household. This book is wonderful and is definitely worth the read. While heartbreaking at some points, this book is still outstanding and has a great story. I would recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read it, especially to those who enjoy a good book that shows what friendship and loyalty is.

Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke

I'm normally not much of a big reader; I only read books when the school curriculum requires it. However, this summer, I picked out a fantastic book that is written in great detail and also tells an outstanding story about a young girl, named, Meggie, who discovers that her father, Mo, hides more than he shares with her. This book is called, Inkheart, and is written by Cornelia Funke. The reason why I hooked onto this book is due to the Fantasy-like feel it gives. Just the fact that the father of a little girl can read things into and out of the book is amazing and completely unrealistic! Also, the book keeps you guessing as you read and it makes you think "Have I uncovered all of the secrets, or are there still more to be revealed?". The characterization is incredible too. It's amazing how a young girl can evolve from being timid and naive, into a brave and intelligent human being. The characters in the book are unique, and each are very different. For example, you have this book binder named Mo who can read things into and out of any book he pleases. On the other hand, you have a man named Dustfinger who has a strong desire to be put back into his book, and he can manipulate fire. And then, you have the antagonists... one of them is named Capricorn, and the definition of 'evil' fits him perfectly. The fact that this book contains a multitude of characters, each being different from one another, makes the book interesting, and makes it easier for you to realize any connections you may have to a certain character.The ending of the book is perfect; it sets up the story for the other book in the series and it successfully wraps everything up. If you feel happy for the characters in the happy ending of a book, then the author must have done a great job with telling the story as well as creating memorable characters. When Mo reunited with his wife, I felt happy for him, even if he is a fictional character. This book is too good to pass up. It has a terrific story and unique characters that you can both relate to and/or hate with a strong passion. Once you start reading, you won't be able to stop until all of the secrets and mysteries are revealed, right in front of your very eyes.