I finally finished "The Kite Runner," after many of you recommended it around this time last year. I'm still reeling from the incredibly textured picture author Khaled Hosseini draws of several things I find fascinating: The relationship between best childhood friends, the push and pull of an immigrant child with his nation of origin, and, best of all, the portrait of modern Afghanistan. If you want to understand, on a gut level, what fundamentalist religious insurgency does to a tradition-bound country, this book really makes you feel it; I found myself weeping several times as I read. I'm sure there's an Iraqi version of this kind of book. Do you know what it is? And the best news is that, next month, Hosseini's next book, "A Thousand Splendid Suns," will be released, about two Afghan women and their enduring friendship. I can't wait.

What books do you have on your summer reading list? What will be your summer must-read?