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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2067 KP) rated A Thousand Splendid Suns in Books
Mar 9, 2018
I got a chance to read the follow up to THE KITE RUNNER which doesn't actually come out until the second half of May. It's a character study of two women over the course of 40 years of Afghanistan history. Very moving and powerful book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/03/book-review-thousand-splendid-suns-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/03/book-review-thousand-splendid-suns-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Kate (355 KP) rated The Moonlit Cage in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Read it a few years ago and it has always stuck with me, found it recently at the back of a bookshelf and reading it again. About a young girl growing up in the remote areas of Afghanistan, being forced into an arranged marriage and then finding her way in the world. Not too soppy or romantic but realistic would suggest that everyone read it.
Ruth Frampton (577 KP) rated Tears of an Afghan warlord in Books
Apr 10, 2018
With careful and outstanding illustrations that give a weight to the setting and characters, this story of a Belgian journalist gives the story of Afghanistan from a non-US point of view. The encroaching of the Taliban at the withdrawal of the western forces echoes books like Malala's biography and show how little was really accomplished. As a way to bring this real-life tragedy to a different readership is a needed thing, well done to the writers and artist.
Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated And the Mountains Echoed in Books
Mar 15, 2018
This is an incredible book. It tells a sweeping epic that manages to be both about love and the history of modern day Afghanistan. Each chapter tells a different story, and yet everything is expertly connected into one overarching narrative. At times it is endearingly sweet and at others heart-wrenchingly sad. I had an incredibly difficult time putting this book down as I had to keep seeing where it would take me next and how it would all tie together. A remarkable achievement and a book I will always remember.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Kite Runner in Books
Jun 19, 2018
Moving and beautifully written
I can safely say that this is hands down the best book I’ve read so far this year. This book has been on my ‘to read’ list now for years, and I’ve never been moved to read it until now, mainly because I wasn’t sure it’d be my kind of story.... how wrong could I be.
This is possibly the most moving and beautifully written book I’ve read in a long time. The narration by the protagonist Amir is brilliantly done and it hooks you in from the very start. I was never bored for a second, whether reading about his childhood in Afghanistan or his later life in America and beyond. This is a heartwarming tale in parts, but for the most it is very sad and depressing and is a very good portrayal of war torn Afghanistan. I’ve never felt so moved to tears as I have when reading this book.The story itself too is not in the slightest bit predictable and to say I was surprised at the developments over the course of the book would be an understatement.
An amazing read and one that is sure to stick with me for some time.
This is possibly the most moving and beautifully written book I’ve read in a long time. The narration by the protagonist Amir is brilliantly done and it hooks you in from the very start. I was never bored for a second, whether reading about his childhood in Afghanistan or his later life in America and beyond. This is a heartwarming tale in parts, but for the most it is very sad and depressing and is a very good portrayal of war torn Afghanistan. I’ve never felt so moved to tears as I have when reading this book.The story itself too is not in the slightest bit predictable and to say I was surprised at the developments over the course of the book would be an understatement.
An amazing read and one that is sure to stick with me for some time.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Don't Go in Books
Jan 15, 2018
Scottoline has managed to do it again...another book that was hard to put down, with believable characters & plot. This one tells the story of Dr. Scanlon, a podiatrist who is serving as a combat surgeon in Afghanistan when he learns his wife has died at home from a knife wound. Mike returns home to bury her & that's when the intrigue begins. Just when I thought I had it figure out I was thrown another curveball. This was a heartbreaking & heartwarming story of war, family, love, loss, & rediscovering yourself after tragedies that seem like they will never end.
AJaneClark (3962 KP) rated His Woman In Command in Books
Dec 2, 2019
Short Read
Captain Nike Alexander is in Afghanistan for one reason only - to use her pilot skills. She doesn’t have time for men, especially military men. Playing hard to get with Captain Gavin Jackson comes as naturally to Nike as flying one of her Apaches. But Gavin’s sexy-as-sin smile is making it harder and harder to say no. Nicely written short read, touches on the hardships of war and the tolls that this has on all involved. It would have been nice to tie up some of the unfinished parts touched upon throughout the book. The characters were very likeable!
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Based on “The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan,” a memoir by Kim Barker, “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” follows the journey of a copy writer turned war reporter (Tina Fey).
One day Barker is called into a meeting where, because she is unmarried and without children, she is asked to cover the war in Afghanistan. Seeming hesitant, but pulled by a desire to escape her mundane life, she decides to go for it.
When Barker arrives in Afghanistan the journalists that are stationed there basically just party most of the time, which speaks volumes about the ways people may try to avoid the emotional intensity of their surroundings.
Other than that, Barker hangs out with some very calm troops, gets ballsy and captures some crazy footage, and seems to get very wrapped up in the thrill of getting a lead story. It doesn’t seem that Barker ever has any actual interest in the politics of what she is covering. Realizing that it is a comedy, this may be totally fine. But the film is an odd mix. It portrays Barker’s character as somewhat numb to the tragic reality she is immersed in, while at the same time making a joke wherever it can.
I’m not quite sure what genre “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” fits into. It gets close to drama, and it gets close to comedy but it isn’t that funny and it isn’t that touching. It leaves the impression of a dull and desensitized view of war and the challenges reporters face abroad. Perhaps the film is staying true to the memoir, but it is definitely a different approach to describing such an experience.
That being said, it’s not a bad film or a bad story. It’s interesting. It has funny moments, and it makes you want to know what will happen in the end. A few scenes even get close to developing the characters in a way that might make the audience care about them. But overall, there is really no emotional substance to the film and it leaves no big impression.
Worth a watch on Netflix, I give “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” 2.5 out of 5 stars.
One day Barker is called into a meeting where, because she is unmarried and without children, she is asked to cover the war in Afghanistan. Seeming hesitant, but pulled by a desire to escape her mundane life, she decides to go for it.
When Barker arrives in Afghanistan the journalists that are stationed there basically just party most of the time, which speaks volumes about the ways people may try to avoid the emotional intensity of their surroundings.
Other than that, Barker hangs out with some very calm troops, gets ballsy and captures some crazy footage, and seems to get very wrapped up in the thrill of getting a lead story. It doesn’t seem that Barker ever has any actual interest in the politics of what she is covering. Realizing that it is a comedy, this may be totally fine. But the film is an odd mix. It portrays Barker’s character as somewhat numb to the tragic reality she is immersed in, while at the same time making a joke wherever it can.
I’m not quite sure what genre “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” fits into. It gets close to drama, and it gets close to comedy but it isn’t that funny and it isn’t that touching. It leaves the impression of a dull and desensitized view of war and the challenges reporters face abroad. Perhaps the film is staying true to the memoir, but it is definitely a different approach to describing such an experience.
That being said, it’s not a bad film or a bad story. It’s interesting. It has funny moments, and it makes you want to know what will happen in the end. A few scenes even get close to developing the characters in a way that might make the audience care about them. But overall, there is really no emotional substance to the film and it leaves no big impression.
Worth a watch on Netflix, I give “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Lone Survivor (2014) in Movies
Jan 26, 2021 (Updated Feb 2, 2021)
Mark Walhbeg (1 more)
Ben Foster
Never Out of the Fight
Lone Survivor- is a intense action thriller thats based on a true story. Its slow at first, but around halfway in, it gets good.
The plot:In 2005 Afghanistan, Navy SEALs Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg), Michael Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch) and Matthew "Axe" Axelson (Ben Foster) deploy on a mission of surveillance and to take out Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. Though spotted by goatherds, Luttrell and his team decide not to kill them. But one of the Afghans alerts a group of Taliban fighters to the invaders, and a terrible battle ensues, in which the SEALs find themselves hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned.
Its a must see film.
The plot:In 2005 Afghanistan, Navy SEALs Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg), Michael Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch) and Matthew "Axe" Axelson (Ben Foster) deploy on a mission of surveillance and to take out Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. Though spotted by goatherds, Luttrell and his team decide not to kill them. But one of the Afghans alerts a group of Taliban fighters to the invaders, and a terrible battle ensues, in which the SEALs find themselves hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned.
Its a must see film.
