What are you reading?

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^Sahar, is there any book that you haven’t read? :hehe:

I’m impressed.

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Arundhati Roy is an amazing author. It would be more than nice if she'd write another novel. She's an amazing human being as well. I love her character. YouTube has some amazing vids of her.

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I’m an English professor. :sahar02:
And I’ve taught both Kite Runner and God of Small Things.

Actually I’ve been an embarrassingly bad reader outside of the classroom for the past few years. Trying to get back into it.

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I really like Arundhati Roy's writings too. I read many many of her articles as well. In fact, I've met her in person too (in fact Noam Chomsky too :D). With God of Small Things, I had really high expectations from the writing itself.

The story line was fine enough but the way it was told, the sequence of story and the short sentences broke the flow. Maybe, because I had been reading her for quite a few years I was used to her typical style of writing; this put me off a bit. Its just a personal thing, maybe others would have liked it any way.

Anyway, I have to read either KiteRunner or A Thousand Splendid Suns first. Which one should I go with?

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You've met Roy and Chomsky in person? Lucky you! As for which book to read first, I haven't read the Kite Runner yet, but I did watch the movie which impressed me so much, I decided to try a book from Hosseini, I chose 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'.

It changed my view of Afghanistan, I realised it had had a flowing and interesting culture and lovely traditions which the wars destroyed. The stories of the main characters aren't just told against the background of the wars and battles, but somehow the lives of the characters really become intertwined with the constant changing political and social situation until we reach the current time.

However, Hosseini is realistic about the situation of his home country. While praising the lovely aspects, he also sees the negative influences and knows what is a problem and should be changed. I was especially surprised at how well he understands the problems females go through.

The main characters are two females with very different backgrounds who end up in a similar situation and have to fight to survive. Sometimes giving up and just going through the days seems more easy, until you are fed up, can't take it anymore and start fighting for a better life again, especially when there is a glimpse of hope for improvement. What these females go through happens in many cultures of different religions as well, all over the world. It's so sad and sometimes I become angry just thinking about what females have to go through. Often they haven't even asked to be in that situation, often it has been the desicion of their families.

The novel takes you to lovely places, it makes you happy and sad, but it also shows you the reality of war brutality and aggression against females. Although this is a story and the main characters don't excist, many females even today go through the same awful abuses and many people suffer through war in one way or another.

Once I finish reading other books, I'd like to read the 'Kite runner' too. I don't know which book you should read first, but I think reading any Hosseini book will be worth your time.

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Dont remember exactly but its been more than 7-8 years now. Kennaird College Lahore had invited them separately. I am not from KC but on hearing about them i went to their respective seminars.

Roy is actually as pretty as she is mentioned to be :blush: .. Anyway, she showed videos of her Narmada Dam project, conditions in those areas of India, read parts of her article and answered our questions. Chomsky, i don’t remember vividly but he discussed his work in Data Mining & Theory of Automata. I was studying those subjects so i wanted to know the concepts in real as well. Both were quite interesting encounters because we hardly ever get to meet the writers who we read about, specially here in Pakistan.

As for the books, thanks a lot for the recommendations. Ill surely get them now.

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I think it's true that when she first wrote it, this style of storytelling was probably a bit more unique. My students often found it to self-indulgent and heavy-handed.

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Thank you for sharing your experiences. :slight_smile:

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I finished "A thousand splendid suns" in last 3 days. OMG! It is so sad. I am so distressed & scared too. One should not read it when their own wedding is near. errr!

Anyway, can any one tell me if its a true story? I really hope it isnt.

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No, it isn't a true story, but many events in this story are based on what really happened, such as the political situation and the book doesn't just show the awful marriage of Layla and Maryam, but also the happier couples, for example the relationship between Layla and her true love isn't abusive at all.

In real life, you have happy and unhappy marriages, you have abusive marriages and normal marriages without any kind of abuse.

Are you about to get married? If so, mubarak ho and insha Allah you'll have an excellent marriage, may Allah give you a happy life with your future husband. :)

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now a days i am reading

''Classics of Western Philosophy''

By Steven M Cahn

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I am reading How To Stop Worrying And Start Living By Dale Carnegie.
It's a nice read but all the things mentioned in this book are not that easy to apply,though, the outcomes can be nice if applied.

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Now a days i’m reading "Aik Achi Shadi Shuda zindagi guzarnay kay Raaz " :blush:

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^ means you are merely wasting your time :snooty:

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Siraf Dale Carnegie he awam key falaho bahbood kay liye likh sakta hay :emmy:

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PERHNE SE KUCH NAHI HONE WALA:omg::cb:

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No :phajja: can write for it as well :salute:

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Now Reading "Bahishti Zaiwar" :)

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:mash:
Yeh tou larkiyon ko Jahaiz main detay thay meri nani k zamanay main.
I have read this too.

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acha jee :emmy:

larkoon kay parhanay par pabandi hay :emmy: