Welcome to Author Spotlight, where readers with a despairing reading slump can come and get the cure for it in the form of discovering an amazing author. When I read, I want to live in my book. I want to laugh and cry, I want to see how the other 7.5 billion humans beside me live in their own corners of the world. From the thousands of authors who write thousands of stories, one who never let me down in making me do just that is Khaled Hosseini.

 Hosseini’s writing makes our hearts ache, our stomachs clench, and our emotions reel. —USA Today

Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan-born, American-resident author who is renowned for his emotional novels. His books provide heart-wrenching insight to lives of people during the American invasion in Afghanistan in the 1970s. Focusing on the darker aspects of love and sacrifice, Hosseini writes the most heartbreaking plots in his books. He has published three novels and one illustrated novel since 2003.

The characters from his books aren’t easily loved or hated. He has sketched them in ways both good and bad that the reader is struck by the reality of the world, that nothing is black and white. Hassan’s unending loyalty to Amir, his master’s son is almost to a fault, and Jalal giving away his daughter to an old man angers us, but Hosseini wants his readers to know that no one is perfect. In his books, everyone makes mistakes. However, he also shows us that despite those mistakes, not everyone is evil.

“Behind every trial and sorrow that He makes us shoulder, God has a reason.” ―A Thousand Splendid Suns

One of the many things that captured my heart while reading Hosseini’s novels is how intricately each one of the characters is fashioned into the bigger story. From poor farmers in a village to rich merchants in cities, he shows us several varying tormenting life stories.

“I now know that some people feel unhappiness the way others love: privately, intensely, and without recourse.” ―And the Mountains Echoed

Then there’s the relationships. Be it romance, friendship, or family, Hosseini portrays intense and strong bonds between the characters. Some of his characters convince us that love is above all by sacrificing something or the other for their loved ones. His novels give life to the sacramental commitments of their characters.

“For you, a thousand times over” ―The Kite Runner

His debut novel, The Kite Runner, focuses on the friendship between two boys, Hassan and Amir, and has even been adapted as a movie. His second published work, A Thousand Splendid Suns, cracks the intense friendship between two women, Laila and Mariam. And The Mountains Echoed is his third novel and it starts with the separation of brother and sister, Abdulla and Parr, and continues on to display the heartbreaking stories of nine interrelated characters. Hosseini’s latest work, Sea Prayer, is a rather short, illustrated novel which takes a different turn and provides the haunting image of the war in Syria, in the form of a letter from a father to his son.

You can find more information about him on Goodreads and his website, and you can buy his books from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Do you have a favourite book by Hosseini? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Author Spotlight: Khaled Hosseini appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

There’s also new releases from Lian Moriarty, Khaled Hosseini, and Paulo Coelho. Need a little history of fantasy? The Lost Queen follows Languoreth, the twin sister of the man who inspired the legendary character of Merlin, while The Silence of the Girls focuses on the timeless legend of The Iliad, as experienced by the captured women living in the Greek camp in the final weeks of the Trojan War.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below which ones you are most excited for!

Impostors by Scott Westerfeld
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Scott Westerfeld returns to the world of Uglies in this new series. Frey and Rafi are inseparable . . . but very few people have ever seen them together. This is because Frey is Rafi’s double, raised in the shadow’s of their rich father’s fortress. While Rafi has been taught to charm, Frey has been taught to kill. Frey only exists to protect her sister. There is no other part of her life. Frey has never been out in the world on her own – until her father sends her in Rafi’s place to act as collateral for a dangerous deal. Everyone thinks she’s her sister – but Col, the son of a rival leader, is starting to get close enough to tell the difference. As the stakes grow higher and higher, Frey must decide whether she can trust him – or anyone in her life.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The retreat at health and wellness resort Tranquillum House promises total transformation. Nine stressed city dwellers are keen to drop their literal and mental baggage, and absorb the meditative ambience while enjoying their hot stone massages. Watching over them is the resort’s director, a woman on a mission to reinvigorate their tired minds and bodies. These nine perfect strangers have no idea what is about to hit them.

Vengeful by VE Schwab
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In the sequel to Vicious, Sydney once had Serena—beloved sister, betrayed enemy, powerful ally. But now she is alone, except for her thrice-dead dog, Dol, and then there’s Victor, who thinks Sydney doesn’t know about his most recent act of vengeance. Victor himself is under the radar these days—being buried and re-animated can strike concern even if one has superhuman powers. But despite his own worries, his anger remains. And Eli Ever still has yet to pay for the evil he has done.

Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A short, powerful, illustrated book written by beloved novelist Khaled Hosseini in response to the current refugee crisis, Sea Prayer is composed in the form of a letter, from a father to his son, on the eve of their journey. Watching over his sleeping son, the father reflects on the dangerous sea-crossing that lies before them. It is also a vivid portrait of their life in Homs, Syria, before the war, and of that city’s swift transformation from a home into a deadly war zone.

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Mists of Avalon meets Philippa Gregory in the first book of an exciting historical trilogy that reveals the untold story of Languoreth—a powerful and, until now, tragically forgotten queen of sixth-century Scotland—twin sister of the man who inspired the legendary character of Merlin.

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the Booker Prize-winning author of the Regeneration trilogy comes a monumental new masterpiece, set in the midst of literature’s most famous war. Pat Barker turns her attention to the timeless legend of The Iliad , as experienced by the captured women living in the Greek camp in the final weeks of the Trojan War.

Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In this third instalment in the #1 bestselling Stalking Jack the Ripper series, a luxurious ocean liner becomes a floating prison of scandal, madness, and horror when passengers are murdered one by one…with nowhere to run from the killer. .

Dare You To Lie by Amber Lynn Natusch
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

When her FBI agent father is framed for murder, Kylene is forced to move in with her grandfather, back to the small town that turned its back on her, and the boy who betrayed her. All Ky cares about is clearing her father’s name, but someone won’t let her forget the photo scandal that drove her away two years ago. As the threats gain momentum, Ky finds an unlikely ally in the rookie FBI agent sent to keep an eye on her. Determined to expose the town’s hidden skeletons, Ky unwittingly thrusts herself into a much bigger plot. They thought she’d forgive and forget. They’re about to learn they messed with the wrong girl.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Elizabeth Lavenza is on the verge of being thrown into the streets . . . until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything–except a friend. Victor is her escape from misery. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable–and it works. Soon she and Victor are inseparable. But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth’s survival depends on managing Victor’s dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost . . . as the world she knows is consumed by darkness.

In Her Bones by Kate Moretti
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Fifteen years ago, Lilith Wade was arrested for the brutal murder of six women. After a death row conviction, media frenzy, and the release of an unauthorized biography, her thirty-year-old daughter Edie Beckett is just trying to survive out of the spotlight. She’s a recovering alcoholic with a dead-end city job and an unhealthy codependent relationship with her brother. Edie also has a disturbing secret: a growing obsession with the families of Lilith’s victims. She’s desperate to see how they’ve managed—or failed—to move on. While her escalating fixation is a problem, she’s careful to keep her distance. That is, until she crosses a line and a man is found murdered…

Hippie by Paulo Coelho
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In Hippie, his most autobiographical novel to date, Paulo Coelho takes us back in time to re-live the dream of a generation that longed for peace and dared to challenge the established social order – authoritarian politics, conservative modes of behavior, excessive consumerism, and an unbalanced concentration of wealth and power.

The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White
Goodreads | Amazon

From the New York Times bestselling authors of The Forgotten Room comes a captivating historical mystery, infused with romance, that links the lives of three women across a century—two deep in the past, one in the present—to the doomed passenger liner, RMS Lusitania.

Check out our other September book picks on our Goodreads list!

Any other releases you’re excited to read this month? Tell us in the comments below!

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