52 Books in 52 Weeks (2011) discussion

You know what to do!

Title
Author
Rating
Review/Opinion
Link

:D WE MADE IT THROUGH THE FIRST WEEK!

حكومة الظل
د.منذر القباني
4\5
منذ فترة لم أجد رواية عربية مشوقة لهذا الحد!
أسجل إعجابي الكبير بالرواية، وبإيقاعها السريع الذي يجعل القارئ لايتوقف حتى ينتهي منها.
الرواية مليئة بالألغاز، وتشجع القارئ على التفكير للربط بين الأحداث، أسلوب الرواية يشبه روايات دان براون إلى حد كبير، وهي غنية بالمعلومات عن الجماعات السرية، وعن أحداث لم أسمع بها من قبل، وأحداث تاريخية أخرى لم تُعطَ الاهتمام الكافي.
متشوقة جدًا لقراءة جزءها الثاني (عودة الغائب) والذي اعتقد بإنه لن يكون الأخير في السلسلة.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

أم سعد
غسان كنفاني
5/5

رواية صغيرة ... لا تتجاوز صفحاتها الخمسون و لكنها في هذه الصفحات القليلة .. جعلتني استشعر ما تحمله الأم الفلسطينية من مشاعر و أمال ...
بكلمات ام سعد ولهجتها الفلسطينية ... قرّب غسان كنفاني لنا صورة الأم التي تهب أولادها لأرض فلسطين
و تعبر عن مبادئها و أنتمائها بطريقتها الطبيعية العفوية

Title :A boy from Mecca
Author :Mohammed Abdo Yamani
Rating :3/5 .تحدث الدكتور محمد عبده يماني_رحمه الله_ عن سيرة حياته ..عن خروجه من قريته"بني فهيم"وهو في سن التاسعة ..وارتحاله مع والده إلى مكة ..وعمله هناك صبيا عند إحدى العائلات ..
..
وكيف كتب له القدرأن يتنقل من عائلة ٍ لأخرى إلى أن وصل إلى منزل الشيخ عبدالحميدالعالم .. الذي أصر على تعليمه حتى حصل على شهادته الثانوية ..وحصوله على منحة من الدولة لدراسة الطب في مصر ..
وعاطفته الجميلة تجاه عزيزة ابنه الشيخ <3

الكتاب خفيف وممتع ..وبلغة انجليزية سهلة ..استمتعت كثيراً برحلة الدكتور الذي بذل الكثير من الجهد ليصبح الشخص الذي نعرفه اليوم..
قرأته في باص الجامعة ..ولم أستغرق الكثير لإنهائه

I recommended it =)

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

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Title:زهرة الثلج والمروحة السرية /
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Author: Lisa See

4/5 stars.

"This book introduced me to a world I did not know of
Felt angry at times , then merciful and Kept shifting through different emotions.
Worth reading "

Link to review.

Alanoud wrote: ".
.

Title: زهرة الثلج والمروحة السرية /
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan u

Author: Lisa See

4/5 stars.

"This book introduced me to a world I did not know of
Felt angry at times , then merciful an..."

This one is actually in my to read in january list which i will probably reading next week, with the 4stars you've give, i think its a good one, how did you find it?

This weeks read was ;
title : Barefoot
author : Elin Hilderbrand
3/5 stars (3,5 stars I might say)

it was a nice read in general, but i found it didn't reflect the emotions written at times. However there are also a few times it made tears in my eyes.

Tugce Nida wrote: "Alanoud wrote: ".
.

Title: زهرة الثلج والمروحة السرية /
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan u

Author: Lisa See

4/5 stars.

"This book introduced me to a world I did not know of
Felt angry at times ,..."

it was an interesting read , getting to know things
about other cultures for the first time
the writing was well composed did not felt bored while reading it .

A Step from Heaven
by An Na.

3/5

This was a short book, only around 150 pages. It's about a little Korean girl who immigrants to America. At first she thinks she's going to heaven and is disappointed to find out that's not the case. It's interesting to watch the main character grow. I didn't like how short the book was, it could have been more detailed and in depth, even as a Teen book.

The Snowman
by Jo Nesbo, Don Bartlett (translator)
5/5

Truly gripping book, author had me hooked from the first chapter. The various plot twists made it an enjoyable read. I couldn't put this book down. LITERALLY!!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


recommended for: People who'd like an easy light unique read but not really seeking a mystery novel.

This murder mystery novel is not about a person who has Asperger's Syndrome. No. It is NARRATED by that person. Hence the simple writing style and the weird diagrams (which I liked even though they got to be a bit too much later on). Mark Haddon is so convincing that, at times, I forget that I'm reading a work of fiction. I enjoyed reading it very much and it was definitely pleasant. If I had read another book similar to it, I might have been able to criticize it, or give it a lower rating. But I haven't. So I'm sticking to the 4-star rating (I'm saving up the 5-star rating for books I'm mad about). It's not life changing, and I do not love it as much as I love my all-time favorites, but it's unfair to give it a lower rating (just as it is unfair to give Scott Pilgrim a lower rating… God, I love that comic.) I recommend reading it since it is very short, anyway. And it definitely lets you know a few things about people with Asperger's. However, I think calling this novel a murder mystery novel is misleading, since it isn't, really, but it is, from the POV of the autistic narrator. Hmmm.




Link to my review.

Realityland: True-Life Adventures at Walt Disney World
by David Koenig

3/5 stars, liked it.

This book was a really interesting look at Disney World and the things that went into building it and keeping it running. I found the chapters about the problems that WDW had, like injuries or the post 9/11 ticket sale slump really interesting because those things are usually kept quiet.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

The Game
by Ken Dryden

4/5

Dryden, a hall of fame, multi-Stanley Cup/Vezina Trophy winning goalie for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s pours all his love and respect for hockey onto the pages of 'The Game'. From his experience in the back yard (and his detailing of the experiences of his teammates on ponds and local rinks) to his last season in the NHL, in the locker room, on the road and at home, 'The Game' is a truly great, very well written and sometimes funny look at the world inside hockey.

الموازين
للمؤلف: محمد فتح الله كولن
5/5

اقرأه للمرة الثانية.. كلما أردتُ الخوض في غمار تصوف روحاني مع الله
الكتاب يحتوي على خواطر عن الإنسان والكون وغيرها.. ولغة الكتاب سهلة و روحانية
تقود القارئ إلى نبذ الشهوات الجسدية
وإلى الإرتقاء في سماوات الصفاء

:rose:

Title : مُجرَّد تَعَبْ
Author: بسّام حجّار
Rating : 4\5
Review/Opinion : رفقة رائقة جدّاً وحميمة
Link :
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10...

Title: Who Moved My Cheese?
Author: Spencer Johnson
3/5 stars

It was a great yet simple idea, but I didn't enjoy the way it was written.

My more elaborate review:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

First Book:

The Time Traveler's Wife

Title: The Time Traveler's Wife
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
2/5 stars *2 stars for the first 100 pages ONLY*


My first week of the challenge was wasted on a one of the most lengthiest , boring novels I have ever read, The Time Traveler's wife, Terrible waste of time I just finished it today , It started out really interesting after 150 pages or so , it just became sickening , The story takes us to the lives of Henry and Clare , Henry due to a genetic disease in chromosomes his biological clock suddenly resets itself. Cool , This book sounds amazing right? Wrong. I would only recommend this book to people I really loathe. after 400 pages or so I really contemplated just throwing it away, although I still have 200 pages ahead , but decided I have no time to start a new one and keep up with the challenge due to the mind numbing theme of this book that took me so long to read. So I took a break , read something else. skimmed a few pages from this hideous piece of literature and VIOLA , NOW I AM DONE!


Second Book:

Night

Title: Night
Author: Elie Wiesel
4/5 stars

The memoir of a holocaust survivor describing the period he spent in concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald , as the end of World War 2 was approaching. Though a short read , a little more than 100 pages it can never be described as a "Light read" this is in no way light , it is a terrifying experience that millions suffered through. In this book Wiesel not only talks about the low rations of food , water , freedom , he also describes his relationship with his father as teenage boy who ultimately turned into a care giver for his withering father, and how he felt burdened by him , His father died after being beaten by other inmates , while Wiesel kept silent. Wiesel explores the selfishness of man kind when a Kapo tells young Eliezer "Everyone lives and dies for himself alone."

Lost in a Good Book
by Jasper Fforde
4/5 stars

It's the second book in the Thursday Next series and it was just a good as the first (despite the fact that I read it in Swedish and they had translated the name of the main character and made the puns unfathomably confusing).

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth
By Jeff Kinney
3/5 stars

I found this book enjoyable but boring at the same time.. Doesn't have a specific plot but it was kinda funny!
Would recommend reading only if you're extremely bored!

Perfect Match
by Jodi Piccoult

4/5 Stars

She did a really good job with this book. It keeps moving at a great pace. Also, it will challenge any idea you have of making a rush to judgement.

The Senator's Wife
By Sue Miller
3/5

Audio book read by Blair Brown. Will try to find other audio books read by this actress-VG. Sue Miller writes dialogue well, and I was instantly involved in the story. Each character was fully developed and real. The book was about working women, family and marital relationships as told from two women's p.o.v. I am going to pick another book by Sue Miller this year.

Title : قمر على سمرقند
Author محمد المنسي قنديل
1/5
لم تكن من الروايات التي أحب قراءتها لأن بها الكثير بما يتعلق بالسياسه ، وصلت إلى صفحه ٢٧٣ ولم أكملها

My Review

Title: Freakonomics: A Rouge Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Author: Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
Rating: 4/5 Stars

“If morality represents how people would like the world to work, then economy shows how it actually does work”

This was the sentence which I found to be the most through-provoking statement in the book. It just contains so much information - as presented and analyzed in Levitt & Dubner’s book.

The book views economy from an interesting perspective. It explores the effects and results of different social and cultural behavior in the United States. A question from everyday life is raised and then dissected to find the answer. Statistics and logical thinking are the method of analysis, where the conclusions derived are usually unexpected and those far from “conventional wisdom”. In fact, Levitt repeatedly declares that “conventional wisdom is wrong”. He urges the reader to question what is around him and to not accept popular assumptions. And, by reading this book, the reader gets a sense of HOW this can be done.

The book is instructive and stimulating. It eased me in to economics (or the effect of it to be more precise!). Employing the experimental method and mathematical analysis, I found its style to be quite agreeable. Especially with over 20 pages of notes and references in the back! Indeed, the best method of convincing is not by words but by numbers 



http://www.goodreads.com/review

شارع العطايف
عبدالله بن بخيت

3.5 / 5

الفكره والزمن اللي اختاره بن بخيت كان حلو ..
روايه محبوكه .. عجبني تقسيمها لفصول وكيف ربط بين الشخصيات الثلاثه ..
بس اللغه جداً سيئه ووصف مبالغ فيه ..

Chronicles of Narnia; Prince Caspian.
C.S. Lewis
3.75/5

Rain Gods
James Lee Burke
5/5
Audio book

. I've been a fan of James Lee Burke since I first picked up one of his novels. This is the first I've listened too rather than read and it is marvellous. The narrators voice fits perfectly, the story is unforgettable and I highly recommend to anybody who has not read anything by this author to go out and do so as soon as possible

The Kite Runner

A story about faith, hope, courage, loyalty, love, secrets, war, peace, and most of all friendship & brotherhood.
I loved every chapter of it. The tragedy, the little things in it made me thirsty for more. And my favorite quote is "for you a thousand times over."
My favorite character's Hassan needless to say, and Amir wasn't bad after all.
The author's way of telling the story was perfect, a must read book.

Title com نسيان
Author أحلام مستغانمي
Rating 2 of 5
Review/Opinion ممتعة أحياناً وأحياناً مملة
My Review

Title ذاكرة الجسد
Author أحلام مستغانمي
Rating 1 of 5
Review/Opinion: جيدة في البداية لكن فعلاً مملة بعد ذلك
My Review

Title: The Tales of Beedle the Bard
Author: J.K Rowling
Rating 5/5

Review:
Though I'm obsessed about the Harry Potter series and read them over and over,I haven't read The Tales of Beedle the Bard before. I loved it. Of course I did. Another brilliant piece by J.K Rowling.

Title: Football & Chess
Tactics Strategy Beauty

Author Adam Wells

Review: Was pretty insightful, very nice analogy. Only take is that he, Wells, emphasized a lot on English football making it sound like the best brand. And, of course, he undermined Italian football almost all the way, except in the last few pages.

All in all, if you're a football fan.. MUST READ

Rating: 4/5

Title: Nothing is Impossible
Author: Christopher Reeves
Rating: 3/5

Review: at first it was so exciting to know how the author struggled with his severe injury "paralysis" but at the last three chapters he kept on giving so much details about his daily life as a paralysed patient which i found it quite boring!
the story in general is worth reading specially when he succeeded in moving some of his body parts but the main problem was the too much details and information he inclosed.

Push
By Sapphire
3/5 stars

Super depressing with a little bit of hope dropped in. Couldn't stomach all the details of incest. But I gave it three stars because to write it in the voice she did (that of a poverty stricken, illiterate teen girl) took talent. And I can imagine the impact this book had when first published and still has today for people in similar situations.
I definitely won't be seeing the movie.

Scratch that. I'm giving it 2/5 stars. This book just wasn't for me.

Title: Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy
Author: Robert M. Hazen
Rating: 5/5

If we can send this book several hundred years back in time, we'd be so scientifically advanced as a species, that we now probably would be colonizing a couple more planets of the solar system and voyaging in interstellar space.

The premise of the book is that US voters get to vote on policies that need some scientific background that they don't usually have (issues like stem cell research, climate change, evolution...etc). The book's goal is to help the reader become scientifically literate.

To this end, the book contains 17 chapters that talk about all different scientific domains, it extract the absolutely essential core of these domains, and present them in a way that is clearly understandable.

If you didn't study or read much about science, this is likely the perfect introduction that will make you cover most of your bases.

If you did study science and do read about, this will introduce you to new domains you probably didn't know much about before, and will serve you a perfect revision for all the principles of the various domains.

It talks about physics, biology, chemistry, and geology. Spanning topics like gravity, electromagnetism, radiation, thermodynamics, nuclear power, atomic interaction, nuclear interaction, subatomic particles, solar power, plate tectonics, cells, dna, evolution... and the list goes on.

I give it 5/5 because I absolutely can't understand how they were able to squeeze the most central thoughts of each of those scientific domains and present it in such a clear manner. Just incredible.

Review link

Rage
Stephen King
Rating: 4/5

Review: I was a little unsure how much I would like this story when it started out. It's crude in that high school kind of way but actually it's an interesting and entertaining read. Stephen King has such an enjoyable way of getting satisfying revenge on the popular kids for all the cruel injustices.

Norwegian Wood
by Haruki Murakami
5/5

the perfect recipe for quite lazy afternoons!

selected quotes:
**"If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking."
** "I reached the conclusion that a university education was meaningless. I decided to think of it as a period of training in techniques for dealing with boredom."

my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Title: أخلاق المؤمن
Author: عمرو خالد
Rating: 4/5
Review/Opinion: في نظري الكتاب جيد جدا للتذكير بما يجدر بالمؤمن أن يتحلى به من أخلاق فضيلة جاء بها القرآن الكريم والسنة النبوية. عمرو خالد نجح في تقديم نفس المفاهيم ولكن بطريقة جديدة نوعا ما ومشوقة وتجعل القارئ يستشعر المعاني ويفهم الأخلاق الفضيلة بطريقة أعمق مما رأيته في غيره من الكتب. اعطيت الكتاب 4 من 5 لأن هناك أخطاء وقد أشار إليها بعض طلاب العلم في نقدهم لعمرو خالد ولكنها أخطاء لا تخل بالفهم العام كمثلا قوله أن الرسول تزوج من أمية في حين أنه لم يتزوج بها وغيرها. لذلك الكتاب يصلح في أن يكون حاثا لنا ومذكرا لنا بالأخلاق الإيمانية ولكن ليس كمرجع معتمد للأحداث أو المسائل الفقهية.
Link:

Title: Great Expectations
Author: Charles Dickens
Rating: 2/5

At first it was very interesting, but then it got very detailed in away that will force you to skip paragraphs, which i found myself doing, even though I've never done that before.
basically this book did not grab my attention. Not one bit. I skipped to the last chapter just to find out what happens in the end.

الهمة العالية
محمد بن إبراهيم الحمد
٥/٥

كتابٌ رائعٌ رائعٌ رائع، يشّحذُ الهمم ويقوي العزائم ويحفّز النفوس، ولو كنتُ أملك الوقت الكافي لكتبت له مراجعةً طويلة. أنصح به الجميع بلا إستثناء.

http://bit.ly/eSIPFM

First Things First

by Stephen Covey
4/5

Nice book! Makes you see your life in a new way!

Here's a link to my review of it on my blog:
http://fewthoughtz.wordpress.com/2011...

The Secret Garden

Frances Hodgson Burnett

2.5/5

was confused between 2.5 and 3, but three was too good for it.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Title: Decline of English Murder
Author: George Orwell

Rating: 3/5

Fun, short read. Used it to make the car trips to my brother's school shorter.

Link to review:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Title: Poison Study
Author : Maria V. Synder
Rating : 2
This was an ok read.
Review/Opinion: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Title: Sarah's Key
Author: Tatiana de Rosnay
Rating: 3.5/5

This story is about a reporter who tries to find out more about what happened during the 1942 round-up of Jewish people in occupied France ("Vel' d’Hiv’ Roundup") done by the French police.

The story is also about a jewish girl (Sarah) who tries to escape the camp to save her younger brother.

The second story, the one about Sarah, is engaging and is very touching.
The first story, not so much.

However, I enjoyed the book very much. Fast paced and easy to read.
recommended if you want to read more about the Holocaust days.

Link to Review:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

مجدولين أو تحت ظلال الزيزفون
by مصطفى لطفي المنفلوطي

2/5

My review

رواية كلاسيكية تتحدث عن قصة حب بين ماجدولين واستيفن
مبالغة المترجم في إظهار المشاعر والتكلف الزائد لم يعجبني وأنقص من متعة الرواية خصوصا أنه كان يحاول استدرار الدموع وأرَ أنه لم يوفق في ذلك


Link
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

السيدة من تل أبيب
ربعي المدهون
4/5

الإطار العام للرواية ينصب على محاولة التعايش بين الفلسطينيين والإسرائليين. نستشعرها من منظور وليد دهمان الذي غادر بلاده وقريته في فلسطين ليعود لها بعد ٣٨ عاما متصلة من الغياب. تتعدد زوايا سرد الرواية . نقرأها مرة من جانب وليد ، ومرة من جانب دانا. وتتداخل مستوياتها فنجد أنفسنا أمام روايتين في رواية واحدة.

السرد الروائي ممتع للغاية. على الرغم من استخدام الكاتب للهجة العامية أثناء الحوار والتي لا أفضلها .

A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled Hossiene

5/5

its one of the best books that ive ever read..
Emotionally devestating but an excellent story, beautifully written about a country I had written off as a basketcase. A reminder for me to keep an open mind and an open heart ..to thank Allah for all his blessings and that we're in a safe country ..

I felt every moment ,, i felt the story like its happening to me..
i didnt feel like this with any novel before ,,,ahhh indescribable!!!!

يوسف السباعي
3/5

اللغة جميلة، و فكرة القصة حلوه، لكن الرواية نوعا ما مملة!

The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho

2/5

I didn't really like it. It first introduces new ideas, good ones, that you have to relate to your life. but then he just keeps repeating them throughout the book. I liked the small twist at the end though.

Chuck Palahniuk
2/5

I was really disappointed with this book, I expected way too much from it. It was fun and just fine, nothing more than that. The story is about a lullaby that kills people, and the main characters are Mr. Streator and Mrs. Boyle investigate about this certain song and try to hunt for the source before anyone else knows about it. The book goes up and down, it's like as if the author is zigzagging throughout the ending. It was so hard to finish it in one week because it gets so thrilling and exciting and then in one point, the fast rhythm just fall down to pointless details that has nothing to do with the plot. I still like Chuck Palahniuk, thou.

I'm late.


Room by Emma Donoghue

4/5

I liked the book. It was interesting to read how the characters dealt with the small world they were confined in and how losing that world affected them. Jack and Ma live creatively. The escape and adjustment to life outside of "Room" was realistic and the book ended in a good place.

I struggled with Jack's narration. I've read other books narrated by children characters that handled the task much better. I think the suggestion that Jack might have developmental issues, though it fit into the story, might have been away to excuse the weak writing style.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...