What is the last book you read, and your rating?

[Charlyt]

I just finished In Pursuit of The Pale Prince. I gave it 3 out of 4 stars because of the number of errors, but it was a really good book to read.

[Alice Thokchom]

The last book I read was 'The Legacy of Job's Wife' by Cynthia Koelker. I rated it 4 out of 4 stars.

[Ashley Cremer]

The last book I read was The Reel Sisters by Michelle Cummings. I rated it a 4 out of 4 stars!

[Kibet Hillary]

The last book I read was 'McDowell'. I rated it 4 out of 4 stars. It is a good book for those who love slow-paced stories and where the main emphasis is on the development of characters.

[Redlegs]

Jhumpa Lahiri's 200 Pulitzer Prize winning The Interpreter of Maladies is the best anthology of short stories I have ever read. So I came to The Namesake, her first novel, with high expectations, and I was not disappointed.

Ashima marries Ashoke Ganguli in a traditional Indian arranged marriage before they move to America for Ashoke to continue his studies. They stay on and raise a family and make a new life in suburban America, but Ashima in particular retains as much of her Bengali heritage as possible.

Their first child is a boy, whom they eventually name Gogol, after an expected letter from India advising an appropriate name for their child fails to arrive. Nikolai Gogol, the Russian writer, is Ashoke's favourite author, and there is a strong connection to his survival from a potential tragedy that is at the heart of his decision to so name his son.

As Gogol progresses through life in America, he becomes embarrassed by his unusual name, neither Bengali nor American, and as he reaches college age, he changes his name formally to Nikhil, an option he had previously rejected.

Lahiri provides a wonderful counterpoint between the lives of the parents, who retain so much of their Bengali heritage, while their children grow to embrace so much of the modern American lifestyle. Gogol has a younger sister, Sonia, who affectionately refers to her brother as Goggles.

The novel focuses mostly on Gogol/Nikhil, as he grows to a young man, progresses through school and college and takes up a profession (architecture), forms romantic relationships with young American women, but then marries an Indian woman who was a childhood acquaintance.

Lahiri, with her delightfully elegant but understated prose, brings to life a family that learns to work across cultural boundaries and customs to make a life in suburban America. It is full of warmth and love, some wonderful characters, and a little of life's tragedies. There is a deep profundity, elegance and precision to this masterful work of modern fiction.

4.5 stars out of 5

[Redlegs]

Utopia by Sir Thomas More, published first in 1516 in the reign of Henry VIII, was historically and philosophically interesting.

It would be fascinating to see if someone today, writing their own version of Utopia, (I'm sure there would be a multitude of alternative views), would keep much of More's philosophy?

3 stars out of 5

[msbarclay]

I just finished the book, Bearskin, by James McLaughlin.
I would rate it 3/4 stars. Fast paced drama with interesting characters, set in back woods of Virigina.

[alyeskia]

The book I'm currently reading is "The Comanche Empire" by Pekka Hamalainen. Picked it up at one of the national parks during my six week journey through New Mexico. Fascinating history about the origins and domination of the Comanche Tribe. It is very interesting to read passages of places and events in this book of places I visited a week or two prior to purchasing the book. I could relate more to the areas I had visited to the content of the book and imagine life in those areas during the 1700s and 1800s. I would rate this book 4/4

[Nora_khan27]

I just finished reading The Traveler's Best Seller by Rick Incorvia. I gave it 3 out of 4 ratings.

[lara_haelterman]

I just finished reading Mc Dowell by William H. Coles. I gave it 3 out of 4 stars.

[chelhack]

The last book that I read was First Family and it was such a great book. I highly recommend it. It is an interactive remake of the Adam and Eve story and I rated this book a 4 out of 4-star.

[Charlyt]

The last book I read was The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid by Gary Robinson and I gave it 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed it a lot and I think a lot of readers will too.

[Cash-Centered Creep]

The most recent book I read was The Leading Man by Stephen J. Blakesley, which I rated 3 out of 4 stars.

Interesting look at the elements of leadership, though stylistically it is off-putting.

[stargurl182]

The last book I read was happiness is all we want by Ashutosh Mishra. A book of enlightenment and motivation on life.
I rated it 4 out of 4 stars

[Shivam_chaudhary]

I have just read the book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill .
I will just rate it 4/5 stars.
The overall concept of the book was on the mindset and how it helps to overcome the difficulties of the life