A Thousand Spendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

I read this book when it first came out and enjoyed it even more than The Kite Runner. I was prompted to write about it today as there is discussion in the news of a law being processed in Afghanistan which would, in contravention of the country's constitution, reduce the rights of women. A book like this reminds us how poorly women rate in many parts of the world.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

In this heartrending, unforgettable story, Death reluctantly tells the story of foster child, Liesel in Nazi Germany. She needs to steal, not only food, but books, to survive, and it is a book that saves her life as those around her perish.