A Year of Books and a Simple woman's Book Club- February

I  have a dilemma! Is it cheeky to link two very worthwhile linky posts together, when both of them are about the same thing? You see, I desperately wanted to share this book as my February read for the "Year of Books' with Laura at Circle of pines.

I was really looking forward to writing a post that would show you what I was going to read in February.

I was intrigued by the cover, loved the graphics, got hooked by the blurb and yet in the end I walked away from the book shop empty handed. I had too much to read- my own bookshelves were overflowing,I had other books to read, I had visitor's arriving and school work to do- Time for a new book was out of the question!

But then my visitor's arrived and brought with them the very same book... Call it fate, serendipity or what you will.. So I sat down to read... and devoured it, page by page!

So here's my Dilemma- Can I now write about my book once I've finished it? And if so, can I link it to another bloggy book club that I would love to take part in?

I took a decision to say yes- It's too good a book not to share. So I'm going to spread the book love and join in with thesimplewomansbookclub too.

 So for My Book for February is 'The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul' by Deborah Rodriguez. It looks like it should be some kind of Chic Lit or cosy read-(and in fact, some of my friends were put off by that, thinking it was along similar lines to the knitting club, Supper Club, Cupcake shop, kind of genre) but this book is a little more than that.

 

Title: 'The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul' 

Author: Deborah Rodriguez.

I read this book in  Paperback.

My personal thoughts on this book: 

This might not be everyone's cup of tea (Or coffee!) but I really enjoyed it. It may seem a light read, it certainly isn't a great literary masterpiece- but then again this is Rodriguez's debut novel, and whom, in fact, is a hairdresser not a novelist. However it is based on her experiences in Kabul and it is this insight into aspects of the Afghan culture that certainly ring true. The story tells of Sonny, an American, who runs a coffee shop in Kabul and a cast of characters that frequent and work there. Yes, the characters may not be very full bodied and the plot a little iffy, but it still didn't stop me from wanting to read more.  The five main women characters are interesting, each very different, each with their own story to tell and and yet are joined together through their shared experiences. It reads easily, yet touches on some very salient points about the treatment of women in Afghanistan. If you want a heavier read about Afghanistan, then 'The Kite Runner' and 'A thousand Splendid Suns' will be more to your liking, but as books go, this certainly gave me enough to go on and to enjoy it for what it was.

Here is a link where you can find/purchase this book:  Amazon  has the book for sale in a variety of editions, including Kindle.

A favorite quote from the book: 

Women are like teabags; you never know how strong they are until they're put in hot water.

Eleaanor Roosevelt

(Written as the preface to the book)

Maybe next month I shall do two different posts for two different books- but for now I hope Laura and Peggy, my book club hosts, nor you, don't mind sharing:)

Amanda x