Kell

Hi Bookgarden (& welcome to the forum, by the way!). I have quite a few of those large-format paperbacks that i managed to get very cheaply. Initially I got them because the books looked interesting (as always), but they look great on the shelves, because they are the same height as the hardbacks, so there's no "dip" on the shelves when I slot them in place like there is with the smaller ones. That said, they're more trouble to lug around for my "portable" reading, as they're a bit big for asmaller handbag, but if I'm using a bigger bag, it's not a problem. Hi Dogberry (& welcome to you to). I know what you mean - often the hardbacks have far nicer covers - I suspect it's partly to justfy the higher price & encourage us to choose them over the paperbacks. I only really get hardbacks as gifts or if I've been given book vouchers a when I'm buying books, I tend to try & get as many as I can. There are very few authors I'll actually buy the hardback straight off. That said, I've decided that I'd like to replace some of my paperbacks with the hardback versions, such as my old Pratchetts & the first 5 Harry Potter books (I have the 6th one in the adult cover hardback & it's somuch prettier than the kids' cover paperbacks!).

First off, welcome to the forum, Betty - it's lovely to have you here. You make some very good points there about the women not necessarily thinking they're so badly treated as it's what they are used to. That, to me, makes teir situation all the sadder. To think that I have been brought up in a country that allows me to make my own choices - to live how I want to, to work if I want to, to marry who I love (if I want to) and to be friends with who I want, irrespective of their sex or social position, is a stark contrast to eh lives of these women. I'm sure they'd hate to think that we pity them, but that's what I do feel - pity that thay aren't given the choices we are and that they know no different & don't feel they can make the difference.

There's a quote that particularly stood out for me: Sultan said: Although I am still appalled at the way Sultan treats his family - like a tyrant, rather than a father, brother or son - I can't help feeling there is a grani of truth in what he says here. Children today seem to act in ways I would never have dreamed of acting when I was a child, with a complete lack of respect for others, especially those in positions of authority. Many are simply not taught that there are boundaries that should not be breached and that there is behaviour that is unacceptable in society. However, I think that cltures such as the one portrayed in this book have gone too far the other way, allowing no freedom at all & giving punishment that far outstrips many of the perceived. I'm not sure this teaches respect, more that it teaches fear & engenders an air of simmering resentment that will be taken out on future generations - an ever-perpetuating circle.

That's true, but Western society is generally perceived to be more equal (& getting moreso) & permissive than many of the eastern European & middle-eastern countries, is what I meant.

The nac mac Feegles have a habit of stealing sheep & cows - four to a beastie, they each get under one hoof & lift, then run off with it bleeting or mooing, often with the poor creature facing backwards. Read the Tiffany Aching books & you'll see.

Then again, seeing as this is how they have been brought up & they strongly believe that this is the right way to live, that probably was their best behaviour - treating women like slaves is a way of life over there, beating someone who has comitted any sin is "the correct punishment". That's never going to be seen in a positive light by Western society, but they would probably be completely shocked by our best behaviour - fromthe clothes we wear to the fact that women openly hold jobs, are seen as equal to men & can do as they please without having to wait for the permission of the men in their lives, so that a book written by an Afghan about staying with a Western family would probably seem to show us in a bad light to Afghan readers, whereas we wouldn't understand what all the fuss was about.

Ooh yes - I forgot about Artemis Fowl (a crime!). I have all of those books too - they're wonderful! I loved reading about the young criminal mastermind.

That's really interesting, Pilgrim - thanks for that. It might be interesting to see his point of view as, right enough, Bookseller isn't really a very flattering book, neither of his family or his countrymen. Then again, with Afghan cultural attitudes the way they are, I think it would ave been very difficult to portray them any more sympathetically than was done. I find myself both pitying & diliking some of the family members (such as Mansul - he wants to do his own theng, but he's incredibly lazy with it) & reading about how the women are treated over there is incredibly uncomfortable & makes me feel very lucky to live where I do!

For the 10 & 12 yr olds, I can heartily recommend The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart & Chriss Riddell - I read the entire series last year & adored them (so much so that I'm keeping hold of them all instead of flogging them!). They might also enjoy the Discworld novels aimed at younger readers such as the ones featuring Tiffany Aching and also The Amazing Maurice & his Educated Rodents. There are also such classics as The Chronicles of Narnia which are absolutely magical & perfect for the 10-y-o (in my opinion) and also for the 12-y-o if they like that kind of thing. I've not really had much experience of books for 5-y-o's though, so I'll leave that to other members. I hope that's some help.

Hi Carole & to the forum. I was wondering how you got into writing and what drew you to writing romantic comedy?

True - one of my colleagues came up to me while I was reading it and stated that it was "an absolutely dire book - hated it!", but I rather enjoyed it myself...

I know what you mean about the stye, Andy - I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. That's not to say I'm not enjoying it, because I am. I still find it odd to read present tense, but it seems to work here, and getting multiple perspectives is interesting, as we're getting to see how things work on every level of the family heirarchy.

The rituals observed, both in daily life and on special ocasions, are absolutely fascinating, as is the fact that any woman woud actively choose to wear a burkah over "normal" clothing that would be cooler to wear and allow more freedom of movement. The chapters I've read today have focussed more on the women in the Khan family and even though Afghan women lead far more sheltered lives, they have the same hopes and desires are any other women around the world - it's heartbreaking that they would be so harshly punished for acting on them. The family dynamics and the heirarchies are very interesting too... Has anyone else started this one ahead of time?

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this is a complete surprise even just a few chapters in. Not that I'm complaining, as so far I'm enjoying it. The double standards are dispicable - if an adulterous couple is caught and only one punished (for whatever reason), it is the woman more often than not, and the punishment is most often death; girls are not allowed to smile at or talk to boys, not even to look at them, never mind be alone with them, for fear of them being "spoiled goods" and being beaten to within an inch of their lives; having to be covered from head to foot in all but the most permissive of households - even though I knew all this before I started reading, I find it completely shocking. Another aspect with which I have trouble dealing, is a society where books,art & priceless historical artifacts of the Afghan heritage are willfully destroyed because of religious beliefs - it's utterly tragic.

LOL - i use this on a regular basis as a way of getting out of every havnig to be around sprogs.

Ach, o' course ah ken wha they arrrrrre, laddie! They are wonderful characters who have been described by a friend of mine as "Smurfs on Smack", but I think they're much better than that. And the thoughts of sheepies and coos whizzing past backwards always has me in fits. I've been thinking some more and I must add both Macro and Cato from Somin Scarrow's Eagles series to my list of favourites. The start out as veteran Centurion and fresh-faced Optio, respectively, in the Roman legions, sent to Britain in 43 AD in the first book, and as the books go on, the characters develop into something wonderfully complex and real. If I were to meet them in real life, I'd want them as friends. I certainly wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of them!

The Colour of Magic & The Light Fantastic (the 1st two) are my least favourites in the entire series (in fact, I don't rate them at all), closely followed by Eric (very dull, in my opinion). If she doens't like the one she's reading, please do let her know that they get LOADS better!

I always loved Puddleglum in The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis (the last in the Chronicles of Narnia) - he was such a darkly funny character, so morose yet exactly what they children needed to get through their adventure. I've also always been a fan of both Angua and Vimes from the City Watch books of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.

And now the big question is, "Will you read any more?"

With it being such a long book, Mau, you'll probably find that later on the names & places feel a littlemore familiar and you won't have to refer back quite so often. I hope you enjoy it all!

I agree - I found The Wise Woman rather dull and just didn't like the lead character at all, so I felt no sympathy for her, but all the others i've read have been really great.

I have Wicked waiting to be read and am rather looking forward to getting to it, but other books just keep getting in the way - LOL!

I loved those when I was a kid - i still have them since my Dad got everything out of his loft to move house. i've got them all on my "for sale" list - LOL! And these too! I vividy remember reading and adoring this - it's so dark! If I remember correctly, I also once saw an animated film of it, but I could be wrong... This was read by Dame Judy Dench on Jackanory once (many years before she was made a Dame). I saw it on a programme about this well-loved kids' show... I never read these books, but I loved the original TV programme. It was kind of creepy, but in a sweet way. I hated it when they revamped it a few years back - it was all brightly coloured and, somehow, wrong. Bring back the original Moomins, I say!

Well, if you're enjoying that one, try The Other Boleyn Girl too - it's the one I've enjoyed most by Philippa Gregory to date.

February's reading circle choice is The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad: Two weeks after September 11th, award-winning journalist Asne Seierstad went to Afghanistan to report on the conflict. In the following spring she returned to live with a bookseller and his family for several months. The Bookseller of Kabul is the fascinating account of her time spent living with the family of thirteen in their four-roomed home. Bookseller Sultan Khan defied the authorities for twenty years to supply books to the people of Kabul. He was arrested, interrogated and imprisoned by the communists and watched illiterate Taliban soldiers burn piles of his books in the street. He even resorted to hiding most of his stock in attics all over Kabul. But while Khan is passionate in his love of books and hatred of censorship, he is also a committed Muslim with strict views on family life. As an outsider, Seierstad is able to move between the private world of the women - including Khan's two wives - and the more public lives of the men. The result is an intimate and fascinating portrait of a family which also offers a unique perspective on a troubled country.