A "to do" list for you

I need to tell anyone who reads this blog (all 3 of you) about two things that you absolutely must do as soon as possible. I mean, drop everything and go out and do these things. Ok, obviously I’m exaggerating, but if you get around to it, these are worth doing:

1. 
   
   Read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I just finished this book over the weekend and it is currently in a 5-way tie for my favorite book ever!
   
   
   Others tied for this coveted spot (in no particular order)are:
   • Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
   • The Liar’s Club by Mary Karr
   • The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
   • In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
   
   With honorable mentions for Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Anne Burns, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt.
   
   
   If you are familiar with the books on my list, you can see that I am a fan of those with strong character development, where the plot does not distract the reader from getting to know the characters and noticing the subtleties of relationships. In my opinion, quality writing takes far more artistic talent than interesting storytelling. I think Dan Brown (author of The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons) is a terrible writer – his style is incredibly underdeveloped and therefore so are his characters. Both were excellent stories and I had a hard time putting down both books as I read. But after finishing two of his books in a row, I decided to never read another Dan Brown book again if I can help it. He’s a bad writer, but a good story teller.
   
   
   I feel the same way about Jon Krakauer. He wrote Into Thin Air and Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. Again, terrible writing about interesting stories. After reading half of Under the Banner of Heaven I was very put off by his skewed journalism style. He tries to make the book come across as an unbiased look at the Mormon religion, but the sensationalism and one-sided accounts of already over-dramatized events deter from that. He lost credibility with me permanently, so he’s gone the way of Dan Brown in terms of my reading list.
   
   
   Sorry about the little side note about what I don’t like – the important thing is this book, The Kite Runner. This is one of the first books I’ve come across in a long time that has such powerful character development as well as a gripping plot. I found myself smiling subconsciously during parts, and later in the story fighting back tears and hoping the guy on the plane next to me wasn’t paying attention.
   
   
   If you have read this book, let’s talk about it. If you haven’t, read it right away and then let’s talk about it. Khaled Hosseini has just released another book about Afghanistan, and I plan to buy it as soon as it comes out in Paperback.

2. 
   
   Watch The Namesake. This movie is based on the book of the same name by Jhumpa Lahiri. After having seen the moving I am only sad that I didn’t read the book. Of course, it is too late now and I won’t fully appreciate the book having seen the film version. I went with a group of friends to see this movie, and almost all of us left the theater crying – but happy. It is an emotional story about family and tradition, and even if you can’t relate to it you will love it.
   
   
   It stars Kal Penn, who you may know as “Taj” from the Van Wilder movies, "Kumar" from Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle. In contrast to these silly comedic roles, his dramatic performance in this movie shows his range as an actor and I hope to see him in more movies in the future.