2006 book 29

scott simon's pretty birds
i haven't been reading much over the past week--i thought it was b/c i was sick, and not in the mood for books, but it turned out that i just hadn't found a good book to read. and let me tell you, guys, this book is good. simon--npr's weekend edition's scott simon, by the way, writing his first novel--tells an extremely moving story of sarajevo in 1992. now, b/c i was just a middle-schooler in 1992, i never really understood what was happening in sarajevo, but this story makes the tragic, harrowing situation of ethnic cleansing very clear. the novel revolves around a teenaged girl, formerly a basketball star, and currently a sniper for the muslim side. i don't want to say too much more than that, b/c i'm recommending this book to everyone and think you should let the story unfold for yourself. but as a note to myself, i'm going to say that this is an early front-runner for one of my top ten books of the year.

ps: unrelated, but i meant to say this a couple days ago. i'm really enjoying the early start of daffodil season! such an unexpected bright spot on those cold rainy days.