52 Books in 52 Weeks (2012) discussion

"In this thread, everyone will post their reviews/opinions of the book they have read this week AFTER you rate/review it on your page. The purpose of this is so everyone can see what you read this week and read your review without having to visit each profile. Some of you have their profiles locked, so this saves you the trouble of unlocking it.

ANY COMMENTS THAT ARE NOT RELATED TO THAT MATTER WILL BE DELETED.

The format will be like this:

Name of book.
Author.
n/5 stars.

"Your simple opinion/extended review/one word that expresses what you thought of the book. GO CRAZY! Anything counts. Don't feel pressured."

Link to your review.

Also, this allows us to be organized, so even if a member didn't log in for about a month, they can add the book they've read to the appropriate thread.

THANK YOU ALL!


EDIT:
As I've mentioned in the guidelines, one word or a simple opinion counts as a 'review'. I only called it that because Goodreads calls it that."


Now let's see your achievements, awesome people.

بيكاسو وستاربكس
by/ ياسر حرب
2/5
ما في الا مقالة واحدة جيدة والباقي ممل جداً جداً جداً الكتاب وكأنه من العصر الجاهلي ..
لم استطع ان انهيه بسبب ملله
لم يستحق النجمتين الا لمقالة واحدة والباقي ببساطة ممل

الروح والجسد
مصطفى محمود
3/5



كعادة المرحوم كتابته سلسة وبسيطة وفي نفس الوقت واضحة ومفيدة!

الكتاب كان فيه بعض التكرار من كتاب رحلتي من الشك إلى الإيمان، على ما أعتقد. الكتاب جميل على أني أختلف معه في إستدلاله ببعض الأقوال الصوفية.

الكتاب تكلم عن حب الله، ووصف عدا حب الله بالشرك وكيف أن الزواج هو ليس بالحب بل بالمودة والتعامل الحسن، سواءً كان البعض يخالفه لكن الكتاب يعتبر أحد كتبه الجيدة، ليست الأفضل.

شرق النخيل
بهاء طاهر
4/5

رواية رائعةأبدع فيها بهاء طاهر كالعادة

جيل السبعينات جيلٌ ظلم و هُمِش ربما حالفنا الحظ و لم
يحالفهم

الكائنات المضللة (سميهم فلول سميهم حزب كنبة سميهم أعلام) موجودون في كل عصر يطلقون احكام غبية و يجدون من
يسمعهم و يصفق لهم

الأكبر سناً_في كل عصر_ في الغالب لم يتغيروا هل هو اليأس بسبب
الماضي أم لأنهم لا يستطعون تقبل تفوق الشباب

طاقة الشباب جبارة لذلك هم يريدون أخمادها أفعل ماتشاء
إلا السياسة ,يريدونهم مغيبين

الأرض كالعرض لا يفرط فيها مهما حصل

ما أخذ بالقوة لا يسترد كاملاً إلا بالقوة لا بأكذوبةاتفاقيات السلام

الفلسطينيون لم يبيعوا أرضهم كما يردد العبط

Book #15
In other words by C.J. Moore
3/5

An enjoyable quick read. Fascinating and yet entertaining. A great book.

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

Matched by Ally Condie
3/5
At first glance it seemed like an interesting reading. The society actually made sense. Everyone having their choices narrowed down to the best out there. This was the the most original -and only- idea in the book that really peaked my interest as it reminds of an article I once read about the paradox of choice. How less is more; how our lives would've been easier and we wouldn't fret over making day-to-day decisions. How we live in a time where there's an overload of knowledge that we are overwhelmed with its weight. I wish the writer had stressed on that more. It was an interesting concept. Could have helped the story a great deal. Upgraded it and added another level.
But no.
I should've realized sooner. The rest of the story is stale. Classic love triangle. Good kind boy versus mysterious boy with dark past. Only here I was rooting for the the friendly guy to win her over. Sigh. Their love story didn't make sense at all. They know each other since they were kids. She sees him on her screen and BAM, out of the blue. She falls for him and oh, what a perfect coincidence. He falls for her too! If they were truly meant for each other. They would've realized it before. I did not know when they the rebellion began to foster. So it isn't really about fighting back or anything.



Anyway, it was a short breezy read so i can't complain about it wasting my time or anything. 3.5 stars only for that one original idea.


Crossed by Ally Condie
2/5

This was book was too stale for my taste. honestly. Unimaginative characters, lazy protagonist, relationships that don't add up and a whole lot of poetry that doesn't make sense. I knew from the moment I finished the first book that this one won't be a great one. I gave it the benefit of the doubt though, since I hate dropping any project mid-way and I can't really return the book. It didn't take much of my time though, on account of its breezy events that collapse on each other rather than straightening out into a lucid plot, so no grudge.

The Origins of Christianity and the Quest for the Historical Jesus Christ [Kindle Edition] By D.M.Murdock

This small book is a fascinating look at the stories in the bible from a different angle.It focuses on the author's theory that Christianity originated from ancient mythology and Sun Worship, and that Christianity as a whole can be explained away as simply a by product or an evolution of earlier myths and beliefs. It is an eye opening book that appears to be backed up by mulitiple sources and his arguments are quite interesting. Of course there are many Christians who would argue (and indeed do) that this book is way off track and that its sources are debateable or outright incorrect. However when you look at certain things in the bible it is easy to find many simalarities and connections to the movement of the sun and its journey around the constellations. I have quite an open mind and have been on my own personal journey in and out of Christianity since I was about 17, and I will simply say that this book is a thoughtful book that makes you wonder. 3/5

The Fault in Our Stars
John Green
3/5

You have to read this book. Don't look at the 3 stars

Why did I give it 3?

Well, I was stupid enough to read it at three different times - bad idea! Especially when the part you begin at is when (spoiler alert) the two main characters decide to... you know... that.

The book is only 313 pages long but it had me crying at the end, not just teary-eyes crying but need-a-tissue-or-else-I-won'-be-able-to-read crying; this is mostly because I wasn't expecting it. It was 200 pages of happiness so I didn't see it coming (maybe the girl-has-cancer part should have been a clue? (it wasn't)). You won't expect it, that's all I'm saying.

I loved the characters in the book - probably the only book where I managed to like almost everyone. My favorite, though, is Gus; even though I don't like optimistic people, he seemed to be it at exactly the right time, like the part where Isaac is depressed after his surgery and the first thing he says to him is ''You are going to live a good and long life filled with great and terrible moments that you cannot even imagine yet!''. I also liked that he didn't waste his time, if he liked someone he would just say it, right there and then, straight to the point.

I hope there are people like that somewhere in this world.

This is the kind of book that, when you finish, you want to carry around with you all the time, possibly hugging it.

John Green, I am your new fan.

Thank you, Asma I., for this amazing book <3

Book: The Trial
Author: Franz Kafka
Genre: Dystopia, Classics
Finished Date: 02.Apr.2012
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review: I couldn't have read a more intriguing book than this.

≈ The Trial is a story of Josef K., a banker who gets a mysterious visit by some men. He then learns that he's being accused, of what charge? he, and us for that matter, don't know about? Josef K. tries to find ways to prove his innocence but would that be fruitful?

The whole time I read it I kept wondering "what is his charge?" but then it's dystopian novel and it's resembles Orwell's 1984 in its major theme. ≈

Book #16
The history of love by Nicole Krauss
5/5

This book is an experience that is rarely found in literature. I suggest that you read it entirely in one sitting.

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

Book 18 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

A wonder read for adults and children.

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

Three and a half Deaths by Emma Donoghue

A nice short collection of stories taken from history.

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

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

5/5
-might contain spoilers-
"The Fault in our Stars" is a beautiful story about star-crossed lovers who try to create their story, through the hurdles of life and the joy and tragedy that entails when death is eminent.

I knew the moment I picked this book that it would end with tragedy and I usually take issue with that. I always find tragic stories harder for me to read as I find myself engaged with characters and live the story I'm reading. So I obviously had mixed expectations, a sense of foreboding that I could not shake away. So needless to say, I was really surprised when I found it to be quite cheerful for a book about 2 cancer patients. I was hooked on the book from page 14.

I loved both of the characters. Hazel,the thoughtful, non-whiny, intellectual terminal patient. Augustus, the dashingly handsome,strongly opinionated, heroic, grand-gestures loving guy with the prosthetic leg due to osteosarcoma and the lopsided smile. Not entirely un-cliche. He reminded me of Jane Eyre's Mr.Rochester. I loved the Green's style of writing; the way he switched effortlessly between writing bluntly and in the most straightforward way to writing abstractly, in metaphors and excerpts from the fictional fiction "An imperial affliction", which I hoped it existed in real life as it seemed like the kind of book I'd like. I know for a fact that I like John Green's style and I'm gonna look further into his other works.

I loved their journey in Amsterdam and was every bit excited about their trip as they were. Their relationship was quite adorable in a nostalgic way. How they took the plunge knowing that one of them would be hurt in the process as they know their happiness is only temporary. I loved their courage -even though they kept denying that they were courageous in anyway through most of the book- and the way she described herself as a grenade, moments ticking away til she dies and hurts everyone around her. I found it really interesting to know the way terminal patients think.

In a nutshell, I loved this book. Heart-wrenchingly honest, humor mixed perfectly with tragedy that I didn't find the ending -spoiler alert!- off putting at all, only realistic. I cried in the end and I'm not a crier. And yet I loved every bit of the book. It brought out the masochist in me, Tragedy isn't that bad after all. No, not when you have witty characters to remind you that life isn't always a "wish granting factory".

Oh, and I LOVE the cover art! I mean, a perfect title for the story that attracts the viewer's attention AND a beautiful cover is too much to resist. I wasn't sure if I was going to purchase it but the moment I saw the book I knew it was a done deal.

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

Fifty Shades Darker
By E.L. James

4/5

I liked the sequel much better. It had more of a plot and I liked the thriller elements she added in there

Book#27


Title: Pear Shaped
Author: Stella Newman

I gave it a 3/5

The book resonated personally with me, but it felt a bit hurried and disconnected. I did like the lead character, but found her a bit daft. Anyway, the story is about relationships and food! I don’t think I’d put anyone off reading it since I did have a good time reading it.

Book#28


Title: Phantom
Author: Jo Nesbo

4/5

I hope this isn’t the end, I hope this isn’t the end. I literally shrieked to how things ended. I seriously hope this isn’t the end of the serious. The series is about a detective (not in all the books, he’s THAT kind of detective. You’d know what I mean if you’re a detective series addict like myself) well, it’s a typical detective story. I have to admit that it isn’t my favourite (Harry Bosch, I’m forever loving you 3) but still good.

Book#29


Title: Victims
Author: Jonathan Kellerman

3/5

This one is part of a series too, the Alex Delware one. It is a psychological thriller; I’ve enjoyed t but was disappointed with the ending as it felt expected.

Book#30


Title: Of Mice and Men
Author: John Steinbeck

4/5

Very well written and despite it being short I connected with the characters and was sympathetic to their plights. A classic, for good reason.

Whispers: The Voices of Paranoia
Ronald K.Siegel
3/5
This book is FREAKY. It contains NON-FICTION short stories of people who suffer from paranoia and how it affects their lives and their loved ones'. While reading the book, I felt so blessed about not having any sort of hallucinations like seeing things or hearing voices. I never thought about those people who struggle everyday in their lives because of Paranoia. at the end, I kinda became paranoid about having paranoia but then the feeling disappeared after a couple of days :P

الحرافيش
نجيب محفوظ
3\5

بمجرّد قراءة "الحرافيش" لا أدري كم جيل عاصرت، لكن عدد تلك الأجيال يثبت بأن الرواية حكَت مايزيد عن قرنين من الأحداث الملحمية في أحد حواري مصر الشعبية.

أسلوب روائي عظيم ولو أنّ التقدم الزمني المتسارع في السرد والتغير المستمر في الشخصيات، الرئيسية منها والثانوية، أبعد اهتمامي لأي تطوّر وتقدم فردي.
لا أدري إن كان ماسبق مقصود من الكاتب أم لا، لكن عبارة "يذهب الانسان بخيره و شره و تبقى الأساطير." ترجّح ذلك.

Title: The Servants
Author: Michael Marshall Smith
2\5
The writer made me see a lot of things in life differently, even though it's not a self-improvement book. I also loved how he described every detail; he made them sound interesting, which I find it a hard thing to do.

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

The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Such an enjoyable children's book! I love Neil Gaiman and his light randomness. And the illustrations were really lovely, completely added to the whole vibe of the story.

I recommend reading this out loud with a child you know.