A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

      "Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them - in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul - they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival."







         Khaled Hosseini brings a new understanding of the people in Afghanistan during the troubling times of the last century. There are definitely adult themes of marital relations, abuse, relations outside of marriage, and parental sacrifice, as well as violence of the time, including talk of beatings, killings, torture, rape, and death. Hosseini keeps the descriptions as clean as possible, while still describing the horrors of the time. This made for a very good read, not shying away from difficult topics and the realities of life for these people. I would suggest this book to all to help further understand people of this culture and background, yet I would not suggest it to those wanting a light-hearted, comical novel.

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A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

      "Talia fell under a spell... Jack broke the curse.
      I was told to beware the accursed spindle, but it was so enchanting, so hypnotic...
      I was looking for a little adventure that day I ditched my tour group. But finding a comatose town, with a hot-looking chick asleep in it, was so not what I had in mind.
      I awakened in the same place but in another time - to a stranger's soft kiss.
      I couldn't help kissing her. Sometimes you just have to kiss someone. I didn't know this owuld happen. 
      Now I am in dire trouble because my father, the king, says I have brought ruin upon our country. I have no choice but to run away with this commoner!
      Now I'm stuck with a bratty princess and a trunk full of her jewels... The good news: my parents will freak!
      Think you have dating issues? Try locking lips with a snoozing stunner who turns out to be 316 years old. Can a kiss transcend all - even time?"

      A classic fairy tale with a twist! This novel was very clever, with an overall theme of creating strong family ties and supporting, though imperfect, parents. There were a couple crude words, girls flaunting their bodies to get a boy's attention, and a party scene with some drinking, poorly dressed girls, and a boy feeling up a girl. This all comes across as being unacceptable and the ensuing romance is perfectly clean. The main male character also undergoes a change and sets goals to become better. Overall great morals and mostly clean, but not for someone looking to read to a younger crowd.

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The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

      "When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock.
      Pagford is, seemingly, and English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war. 
      Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils... Pagford is not what it first seems. 
      And the empty seat left by Barry on the town's council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?"




      J.K. Rowling's first adult novel certainly has a lot of adult content within. I found the many sexual references and sexual actions to be a bit alarming. There was also a very high level of crude language, as well as drug abuse (mainly teenage drug abuse). There was also a theme of unfaithfulness between husbands and wives. All of these things combined made it for a very troubling novel. I believe this was Rowling's purpose, however, as at the end we are left contemplating on human nature's selfish ways and the injustices happening all around us. This novel made me want to stand up and do more to help those around me. Unfortunately, with the mature themes, sexual references, and crude language,  this would not be appropriate for those wanting a clean read.

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Beastly by Alex Flinn

      "I am a beast.
      A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright - a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.
      You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever - ruined - unless I can break the spell. 
      Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beat who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly... beastly."




      While mostly clean, there are a few sexual references at the beginning of this novel. References to prostitution, sex, and drinking are made in a joking matter. There are also a very few crude words. However, as the main character changes, the references stop occurring and the ensuing romance is perfectly clean. I liked the themes of kindness and of being good, even if from a not-so-perfect family situation. I would suggest this as a clean read if not for the few references at the beginning of the novel.

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Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

      "Speaking to us with the wisdom of age and in a voice at once haunting and startlingly immediate, Nitta Sayuri tells the story of her life as a geisha. It begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old girl with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. We witness her transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance and music; wearing kimono, elaborate makeup, and hair; pouring sake to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with a jealous rival for men's solicitude and the money that goes with it. 
      In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as an illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction - at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful - and completely unforgettable."

      While a startling reality of a geisha's life, this novel tells of some unfortunate truths of the trade. Containing a large amount of sexual content, many of these scenes would not be appropriate for a younger audience, or for anyone wanting to avoid such topics. There are also many accounts of drinking and smoking (as was acceptable at the time). However, the constant sexual content alone, while historically accurate, would make it very uncomfortable for those looking for a clean read.

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