Cutting for Stone

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

This book is an epic story of love, politics and family ties. It is set mostly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia but also New York and India.

The story is narrated by one of a pair of twin brothers who were conjoined at the head and separated at birth. The story covers their two sets of parents (birth and adoptive) and the love of medicine that drives them all. Set largely during the rule of Emperor Haile Selassie, the tumult of politics adds to the story.

I enjoyed this book although it wasn't a fast read. I just couldn't get to a place where I wanted to climb into the story and escape this world. Because of this, it took me longer to read since I was reading for shorter times and was easily distracted from my reading.

I think this would make a great book for book clubs because there is quite a bit to discuss with each character.

The Dragonriders of Pern

The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

I read the first three books of this series: Dragonflight, Dragonquest, The White Dragon.

This is a fun series that takes place on another planet. The people originally arrived on the planet in space ships but over hundreds of years have lost their technology.

A small percentage of the population ride and care for dragons which were genetically created in order to destroy a microorganism they call Thread that rains from the sky. In the beginning of the series, it has been 400 years since the last fall of Thread. The people of the planet Pern don't believe that Thread will fall again. They are beginning to wonder what purpose the dragons and their riders serve. One dragonrider believes that Thread will fall again and has spent time reading ancient writings to determine when the fall will come.

The first three books cover about 20 years. There's romance, politics and discovery. There are 23 books in the series from what I can tell. This will definitely be a good series to read as filler between heavier and more serious books.