Paternity Break Reading

Well, I am back from two of the most interesting and fun weeks of my life. On Wednesday, 1 August, 2007, Jack Vincent Augustine Fann was born. My wife and I could not be happier and I can tell you that I already love being a dad. With a newborn not doing much more than sleeping, eating and pooping, I did find some time to read, but it was mainly baby books. I also did some fun fiction and biography reading, so here is a brief synopsis of what I read over my paternity leave:



A Thousand Splendid Suns
About a year ago, I read The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini and absolutely loved it. I found it to be a great story, in which you came to care for the characters and really were drawn into the narrative. A Thousand Splendid Suns left much to be desired, for my taste. I am ashamed that I was hoping for a vengeful death for one of the most despicable characters I have ever had the displeasure to invite into my mind through a book. Even the protagonists were not all that engaging. One fascinating aspect of the book was learning the sordid history of Afganistan, a country totally beligured by war for decades. I would not recommend this book, but I would highly recommend The Kite Runner.

When Two Become Three
This is a great book for first time parents, and one which I will give a full review of tomorrow.


Pride and Prejudice
I had never read the book, but had seen the Colin Firth BBC movie adaptation (which is really quite accurate). Jane Austen has written a classic book in Pride and Prejudice and is truly a great work of art. It is filled with passion, humor, mystery and fantastic characters (I love Mr Bennet). I read Jane Erye (Charlotte Bronte) a couple years ago and found it very enjoyable, and still like it a bit better that Pride, but Austen's book is definitely a classic, and one that should be on everyone's must read list.


Augustus
I have always been interested in Roman history, so when I saw Augustus, a biography of the first Emperor of Rome. This biography reads like a novel, and in telling the story of young Gaius Octavius, who transitions into Octavian, and finally into Augustus Cesar, the reader is plunged into the world and culture of the time of the birth of the Lord. I am a history buff, and this book does not disappoint. Not only do readers get a thrilling and in-depth look at Augustus, they also get the people behind the legends - such as Julius Cesar, Marc Antony, Horace, and to a lesser extent, Pompeii the Great. This is an extremely well-written work and one which I strongly recommend anyone with an interest in biography or Roman history to delve into.