The Kite Runner

 Wow, I truly do not know what to think of this book. Afghanistan has been in my thoughts recently after reading about the United States's evacuation of that country. Even though I am taking this book to be fiction, I am also taking the story to be a description of events that very well could have actually happened. That thought can be overwhelming. So overwhelming, in fact, that I believe it could be easy to fall into despair and lose hope that the problem might ever be solved. Therefore, I would like to quote a small bit of The Queen's Christmas speech of 2016: "[I]t's understandable that we sometimes think the world's problems are so big that we can do little to help. On our own, we cannot end wars or wipe out injustice. But the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine."
  I have to believe that is true. That thought inspires me and helps me keep going on. It also brings me inner peace.

My Name Is Red

Unfortunately I did not really enjoy reading this book. Perhaps what I thought was its most interesting aspect was that the story was told from the different points of view of each of the characters. I also wanted to say that I think this might be the second book that I am aware I have read that contains a character whose name is the same as the author's. The other book being The Divine Comedy. I disliked all of the miniaturists' philosophy on art, and their corrupt adulation of blindness. I also thought the story was weak and simple. Towards the end I did get the sense that the book might have been inspired by historic events, and I was glad to see that a chronology was included as an appendix. But that still was not enough to make me think this was a book worth recommending.

Aztec

I did not like this book. My mother recommended it to me. She said it was one of her favourites. I just... did not like this book. It was so uncomfortable to read. I suppose reading this book is similar to watching Gaslight (1944) except the book does not have a satisfying ending, it is all just uncomfortable.
  From Mixtli we get so much classism, sexism, racism, homophobia, and arrogance. What makes it worse is that I am not sure we are meant to think of him that way. I think he is supposed to be a likeable character. He certainly does not seem to be aware of any of his prejudices.
  Sure, I did learn many new things I did not know about some of the indigenous Mexican civilizations. But I wish I had read a history book instead. Which, I guess, is the only positive aspect of reading this book. It has made me want to read more about the history of Mexico. If I can save someone from reading this book by saying which books I have decided to read, then please know that I intend to read The Oxford History of Mexico (William Beezley, Michael Meyer) and Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs (Camilla Townsend.)

The City and the Pillar

I wish I knew the name, so that I could thank him properly, of the handsome young man who lived in Powell Hall and took me to West Sands one night in October 2020 and recommended this book to me. He was so intellectual, and seemed like a devoted athlete too. I told him of Harvard's uncencored version of The Picture of Dorian Gray, and he said he thought Gore Vidal was like the Oscar Wilde of our era. I think I can see what he meant by that.
  I think this is a good book. There might be some interesting ideas in it. But I also think that I truly did not like the religious interest that Jim had for Bob. It remined me of Love in the Time of Cholera. At the time I really liked the religious interest that Florentino had for Fermina. But I was 16 years old then. Now I truly understand what Fermina meant when she exclaimed "Pobre hombre" when she saw Florentino again after many years of not seeing him. That idea of love is one that I now no longer find desirable. I was also surprised at how monosexual Jim seemed to be. I guess that is how most people think of themselves. Except, for some reason, I was expecting Jim to be... different.
  I do recommend this book. It might be the best I have read of its genre, whichever that might be.

"Everyone is by nature bisexual," said the gray-haired man. "Society, early conditioning, good or bad luck—depending on how you were told to look at it—determine the result. Nothing is 'right.' Only denial of instinct is wrong."
  (Vidal, G. The City and the Pillar. p. 200. United States of America: Vintage Books, 2018.)

The China Study: Revised and Expanded Edition: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, and Long-Term Health

 An extremely interesting book that is the next best thing to directly reading a scientific article on nutrition, though there are many of those cited in the references should one wish to go to the sources.
  I highly recommend this book to everyone, but especially to those interested in a plant-based diet. Regardless of one's philosophical point of view on life. My diet was already plant-based before I started reading this book, but I am now seriously trying to follow a Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet, though I have not been perfect.
  Every time I start doubting myself, I remind myself of the many undeniable accomplishments I have achieved since changing my diet, and I can now also remind myself of everything that is said in this book.
  Thank you to everyone who made this book possible. Let me take a moment to remember Isaac Newton. "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."

Mansfield Park

 #OMG, what a disappointment. The first two volumes of this book are engaging and well-written. But all of a sudden everything quickly falls apart on the third and last volume. Edmund deserved so much better, and the improbable development of Henry Crawford is so unbelievable that I have decided it could not have happened. Fanny is all the opposite she genuinely believes she is.
  Ever since March 2012 when I finished reading A Suitable Boy I have wanted to know, just like Kabir when he asked Lata, if Mansfield Park was any good. The answer is no, it is not.
  So much shaming of behaviour that people should not be ashamed of. So much prejudice. Nah, man. My recommendation: read the first two volumes, close the book, and never open it again.

The White Book

Thank you, Laura, for this wonderful birthday gift! I am going to say that this is a book of poetry. That deals with suffering, and it is very good at it. I have come to appreciate poetry as a means to explore and understand our emotions. But I have also learnt to avoid dwelling on emotions that make me feel sad. Which made reading this book—despite it being quite short—somehow challenging. I had to take several breaks to clear my mind and think about other things.

  Externalising our emotions, by any means, like poetry, can help us deal with them. I believe that is what Han Kang was trying to do with this book. Perhaps she was trying to contain some painful memories, thereby allowing herself to continue living her life.
  I wish we—all the people in the world—could live happy lives. But even that has to come from a conscious decision. Which, as easy as it may sound, can actually be surprisingly difficult.