And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

I read this book for a Meetup that I go to. I had never read anything by Khaled Hosseini before and after this book, I don't think I ever will. That is not to say the book is bad; instead, it is an extremely well-thought out book that keeps to it's title. However, I was very distracted through the whole book because I was trying to figure out what the plot was, and by the end when you actually find out what the plot really is, it was kind of an "oh..." moment. This book involves so many characters and places in the world that is it very hard to describe what it is about since no one single character matters more than the others. If you enjoy books that make you think for days afterwards, this is the book for you.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

This book was TERRIBLE! I do not recommend at ALL!!! It's told in a series of vignettes, none that are really cohesive except they all contain the main character, Esperanza. I had no way of relating to this book, since the community I live in is 90% white and I have never lived in an urban area (the past two places I have lived have had horses as neighbors). I have had no experience with Catholicism, or with hating the house I live in (a big part of the book). Two thumbs down!