Best Books EVER!

So, people make these lists of best books. I am not sure if my list will really be this but, it will have some that I think are great. Some people might not be impressed with my literary tastes. If that is you, you can tell me your opinion or keep it to yourself. I would prefer rather than hearing negative comments that you choose to make your own list of GREAT books. I am sure if you have read more than two books then you have a favorite. These are in no particular order:

1. Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - This book was published in 2003. It was turned into a movie (w/subtitles) in 2007. I recommend reading the book. I think the movie can be skipped altogether.
Summary: The Kite Runner tells the story of Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, who befriends Hassan, the son of his father's Hazara servant. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy through the Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime. It is a beautiful coming of age story about moral choices and how our choices affect us the rest of our lives. Also, the books is about friendship and how deep and meaningful are our connections with our friends and families.

2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee- This book was published in 1960 and Harper Lee won a Pulitzer Prize. It was also made into a 1962 film by the same name that won three Oscars. I strongly recommend reading the book and watching the movie.
Summary: The primary themes of To Kill a Mockingbird involve racial injustice and the destruction of innocence. It is loosely based on an event that took place in Harper Lee's hometown when she was 10 years old.

3. In True Blood by Truman Capote- This 1966 book details 1959 murders of a small town Kansas family. It is the ultimate "True Crime" novel. It paved the way for the genre. Capote's preoccupation with his famous novel was documented in the 2005 movie, Capote.

4. Marley & Me by John Grogan- This book was published in 2005 and a movie by the same title came out in 2008. It starred Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. The movie made me life and cry. However, I laughed and cried harder at the book than the movie. The book was absolutely hilarious. It is the ultimate how not to do-it-yourself. It is a backwards self help book. A young couple just starting their life out as journalists decide to start a family. Of course everyone knows the first step to starting a family is getting a dog. The couple does everything wrong. They weren't prepared for such an energetic and loving puppy. As they grow older and their family expands so does their loveable pooch Marley. We can laugh at their story because it isn't our dog and we can cry with them because all dog owners have experienced similar loss. It is a true classic written straight from the heart of one dog owner to touch the heart of all dog owners. Don't worry about possibly crying anticipate it from the get go and keep a kleenex box handy for the crying and for when you laugh so hard you will cry.

These are a few books to get an avid reader started. If you aren't much of a reader start your plight with Marley & Me and please save In True Blood for last.

Books I want to read

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Blindness by Jose Saramago
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
American Heroinens by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchenson
The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
A Walk in the Mountains by
The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
For Women Only by Shaunti Feldham
Mao: The Unknown Story by Jong Chang
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafron
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Love Talk by Les & Leslie Parrot
Love Talk Starters by Les & Leslie Parrot
One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Ghost War by Alex Berenson
The Host by Stephanie Meyer
Second Glance by Jodi Picoult
Secret Diary of a Call Girl
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
Dead Poet Society by N.H. Kleinbaum
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Someday by Karen Kingsbury
Me and My Big Mouth by Joyce Meyer
Mosaic by Amy Grant
For All Their Lives by Fern Micheals
19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
Beyond the Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Joy of Music by Leonard Bernstein
Why Manner's Matter
Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda

These are just a few books I want to read. There are always plenty more to be read. A book lovers work is never done.

26 Books I Have Read So Far In 2010

So I have decided to update my readers or well maybe just put these words out there on the web. I am letting everyone know about my books of 2010. So, as everyone knows we are only 4 months in. I wanted to let everyone know what books I had read so far in 2010. These are in no particular order. 
1. Against All Odds by Chuck Norris
2. Vampires, Zombies, and Werewolves: Compendium Monstrum by Peter Pauper Press, Margaret Rubiano
3. The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
4. The Confident Woman by Joyce Meyer
5. While I Was Gone by Sue Miller
6. Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer
7. Lovely Bones by Alice Seebold
8.  A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
9. One Hundred by Nina Garcia
10. Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger
11. Dewey by Vicky Myron
12. Who Ate Up All The Shinga? by Wan So Pak
13. Dear Soldier: I Pray For You Every Night When I Go To Bed 
14. Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
15. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
16. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
17. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
18. Hidden Keys of a Loving, Lasting Marriage by Gary Smalley
19. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
20. The Reluctant Communist: My Desertion, Court-Martial, and Forty-Year Imprisonment in North Korea by Charles Robert Jenkins 
21. The Captain's Dog by Roland Smith
22. Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs
23. The Dreaded Feast
24. Just Beyond the Clouds by Karen Kingsbury
25. The Tenth Circle By Jodi Picoult
25. Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult
26. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

Books

If you like to read you should check out Shelfari. It is great. Here is my book shelf on Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/o1514409219

Right now I am reading Lovely Bones by Alice Seebold. It is interesting. I can't decide if I like it or not. I just finished 1,000 Splendid Suns yesterday. It was not nearly as good as Kite Runner. But, it was still a good book.

You can get any of these books on Amazon for decent prices or if you are in Korea and want them in English you can get them at Kyobo Bookstore (near the embassy) or What the Book (Itaewon).