50/50 Friday is a meme hosted by Carrie @The Butterfly Reads and I and focuses on the opposite sides of books (best/worst, differing opinions, etc). Every week will have a new topic and several advance topics will be listed in the tab labeled 50/50 Friday!
Today's Topic: Book You Wish Was Recommended to You More/Less
More:
Standalone
Released: 2003
Rating: 5 stars
Blurb:
"“It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime."
Amir is the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant, a member of the ruling caste of Pashtuns. Hassan, his servant and constant companion, is a Hazara, a despised and impoverished caste. Their uncommon bond is torn by Amir's choice to abandon his friend amidst the increasing ethnic, religious, and political tensions of the dying years of the Afghan monarchy, wrenching them far apart. But so strong is the bond between the two boys that Amir journeys back to a distant world, to try to right past wrongs against the only true friend he ever had.
The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.
A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic."
Amir is the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant, a member of the ruling caste of Pashtuns. Hassan, his servant and constant companion, is a Hazara, a despised and impoverished caste. Their uncommon bond is torn by Amir's choice to abandon his friend amidst the increasing ethnic, religious, and political tensions of the dying years of the Afghan monarchy, wrenching them far apart. But so strong is the bond between the two boys that Amir journeys back to a distant world, to try to right past wrongs against the only true friend he ever had.
The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.
A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic."
I read this a few months ago and I can't believe it wasn't recommended to me more! I think I saw it maybe once or twice but it's largely one of those books I feel like you have to discover on your own which is absolutely ridiculous. It's such an amazingly structured book with circular themes and heart wrenching prose. Seriously, if you haven't read this, consider this your wakeup call!
Less:
The Mortal Instruments #1 (six books total)
Released: 2007
Rating: 4.5 stars
Blurb:
"When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...
Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end."
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...
Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end."
I did enjoy the first few books in this series but in my opinion, it started going downhill after the third book. I expect more world building and more character development with longer series' but I was just disappointed by this. I was recommended this SO much (as noted in my review of the first book) and it was crazy how many people were raving about this series to me. I don't know, it was okay but I think the greatness wasn't sustained.
Have you read either of these? Do you have a different opinion? What books do you wish were recommended more or less? Make a post and link up down below!
Next Week's Topic: Favorite/Least Favorite Read in May
I feel like both of these are pushed too much. The Kite Runner more so when it first came out. I wasn’t blown away by either but can see why people love and push them.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think it's so interesting how we think reading pressure is so great when the book is amazing but it's viewed as irritating at best when the book is viewed as 'not so great'. I just really push for people to read books that have an applicable message (like The Kite Runner). Thanks for stopping by, Jenny!
DeleteI definitely want to read The Kite Runner! It's been on my tbr for a very long time but I still haven't given it a shot. I totally agree with you on City of Bones. I got through the first book and thought that it was ok, but I gave up on the series by the third book and I just don't understand why everyone loves it!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it when you get around to it, Emily!! I absolutely loved it.
DeleteMe too! Of course, I also push Sarah J. Maas' books but some people really don't like her writing so it's all a give and take I suppose. Thanks for stopping by!
I loved The Kite Runner too. I've got A Thousand Splendid Suns awaiting reading now too.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it great?? I still haven't read ATSS but I hope to ASAP! Thanks for stopping by, Stephanie!
DeleteI agree with you about the Mortal Instruments. I actually really loved the first three books but after that... I never really finished the 4th book the first time I tried to read it.
ReplyDeleteIt's really disappointing, isn't it? I feel like all the things I didn't like about the series just built up after a few books and it was just meh after that. Thanks for stopping by, Carrie!
DeleteI love City of Bones but people make it out to be AHMAZING when really it's just the mediocre kind of brilliant (if such a thing exists??) I also really wish more people recommended The Kite Runner to me. I loved it and it broke my heart. It moved me to tears and that rarely happens with me and a book.
ReplyDeleteRight??? I just didn't see anything too special about it once it didn't get better after the third book. I can definitely see why people love it but I just couldn't see it. Same! Maybe I just missed the big rave period with it but I hadn't heard of it until a month before I read it this year which is ridiculous because, like you said, it's absolutely brilliant! Thanks for stopping by, Olivia!
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