AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED * ENOUGH SAID

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini - I got wonderfully lost in Khaled Hosseini's third novel. The story is gripping, the characters come to life, and the words flow.  This novel has no perfect center - each chapter comes together around a character, and often the same event is described by a different character with a different view or motivation.  The title is majestic, but the characters are regular people living their lives in different circumstances for different reasons.  There are secrets and mysteries and years go by before they are unveiled.  If you enjoyed The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, you will likely enjoy And The Mountains Echoed.

A couple of weeks ago, my mom visited us for the first time in five years, and she couldn't believe what she encountered in terms of the messy and less than spotless house in which we reside.  Somehow she got me started with the purging that needs to happen in order to get back my rooms, and I've been inspired since.  This past weekend, I participated in three garage sales (at other peoples' homes) and unloaded a ton of schtuff.  It felt so good to have it gone that I treated myself to a movie yesterday!:

Enough Said - I'm halfway sold when the movie takes place in southern California as this one did.  Then add these great actors and make it a small love story revolving around the crazy dilemma in which the main character finds herself, and you've got the perfect treat movie.  Light and somehow happy even when it's sad.  Enough Said.