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

[ea_anthony]

...to the moon and back by Patricia Asedegbega Nieto. I almost gave it 3 stars because of the slow start, but the pace picked up nicely and did not let up again. So this book gets a 4 out of 4 stars.

[TheRVMom]

I just read Becoming the Dragon, book number 1 of The Dragon Within series by Alex Sapegin. I gave it a 3 out of 4 stars.

[Redlegs]

When Call It Sleep by Henry Roth was first published in 1934, it quickly disappeared with little fanfare into the miasma of the Great Depression. It was republished some 30 years later to a belated recognition that it was something of a buried American treasure, a classic literary novel.

Roth has evoked the migrant ghetto slums of New York in the 1930s - the sights, the sounds, the smells, the variety of foods and cultures and languages - and revealed it mostly through the perspective of young David Schearl, a Jewish migrant boy of about 8 years old.

David is something of a cowardly, easily intimidated and withdrawn lad, deeply attached to his Mama, Genya, and deeply afraid of his gruff, violent and unloving father, Albert. Genya is fiercely protective of her son, and will stand up to any threat to protect him, while Albert is dismissive of his weakling son, even doubting his origins.

David is mostly free to play on the streets with other migrant boys of similar age, mostly Jews of European origin, but there is the odd goy, one of whom David befriends (a Catholic) and who leads David astray in search of sexual adventure.

The central characters in the story mostly speak Yiddish, which is represented in the text as regular English (as if translated). But the children of the street, developing skills in the English language of their new home, have developed a form of patois, a dialect of English with thick consonants and vowels, with some words incomplete and others run together.

It is the sections of the novel involving the children, using this hybrid language in their dialogue, that is the most challenging and interesting aspect of the novel.

The plot covers a series of mostly minor episodes and family interactions depicting the sometimes difficult lives of these migrants trying to establish a new life, until it culminates in a serious incident in which David's life is put in danger. The final part of the novel brings some underlying tensions to a tumultuous head.

This is a quite brilliantly conceived and constructed novel, and I'm giving it 4 stars out of 5 (perhaps even 4.5)

[Likey]

Yesterday I finished reading "Tramps, Thieves and IT" by Val Grian. The story is based on a conflict of smuggler and a tramp. I liked the plot, the book's diversity if I can say so and its fast pace (I hate when it takes a hundred pages to get to the next action). There were also quite a few great jokes. 5 out 5 from me.

[Amyb77]

Thousand names for joy by Byron Katie I give this 5 stars her way of making you about things in your life you have struggled with and ways to overrun them a great book for those in therapy.

[annar01]

The last book I read was An Abundance of Katherines. I give this a 5/5 as this was the first book of this type and I actually loved it

[chelhack]

The book that I just finished is The Engine Woman's Light by Laurel Anne Hill. I rated this book a 4 out of 4. It is a very good book. Yet, it is one that you have to focus and pay attention to so that you don't miss anything

[SmwFavour]

The last book read by me was Nancy Wetnz' Curse breaker

[Olive Branch Reader]

(Note: As a newbie at OBC, I'm not sure whether my topic will fit into the thread or not. I've not seen all the OBC Book Selections (which I am very willing to read from) for discussion or talked about in any category in the forums. Please feel free to disapprove or delete. Thank you).


The recent, latest Kindle book I took interest in devouring, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. Easy read even in most instances, written in idioms and metaphors.

I enjoy reads that entertain with tastefully written wit and humour all throughout. Satirical humour, I realize, is what defines or describes real comedy and entertainment-- of course for fun reading, page after page...after page... of this kind of book. You just won't put the book down, only for bathroom breaks due to overdrinking of espresso while reading Major Pettigrew"s Last Stand.


Every page draws any reader into knowing retired Major Earnest Pettigrew's mind and a dry sense of humour (spoken or unspoken). The small rural English village church ladies will make you laugh. Not at them, but with Major Pettigrew's thoughts about them.

The love story beautifully (and funny) injected in it between Earnest and Mrs Ali leaves you cheering and "kicking the pricks" at what's holding both of them back from mutually reciprocating interest of expressions of love. And you would find yourself talking at the characters in the pages as they unfold their innermost thoughts. Author, Helen Simonson has done a good job of drawing me in, an intrigued reader.

You'll have to find out how life for Mrs Ali and Earnest--both of them, the meddling church ladies, Pettigrew's son and relatives play out in the entire story through to the end. As you read it through, you wouldn't want it to end.

[Nimisha]

The Hound of Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A 5/5 for me.
I loved solving the mystery myself so much. And there was never a full moment except when Dr. Watson was writing the letter. Apart from that I felt it was one of the best reads. Or maybe I'm just a Holmes fan.

[Emi_Review]

The Hound of Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A 5/5 for me.
I loved solving the mystery myself so much. And there was never a full moment except when Dr. Watson was writing the letter. Apart from that I felt it was one of the best reads. Or maybe I'm just a Holmes fan.

I'm pretty much the same, I got given the complete works of Sherlock Holmes for my birthday one year and The Hound of the Baskervilles was one of my favourites.

[ea_anthony]

I just finished reading a great book; From Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965-2000 by Lee Kuan Yew. the author and first Prime Minister of Singapore' greatness and love for his country Singapore shines through out the pages. I am sure he had many critics and he makes apologies on the decisiveness of his actions while justifying the expediency in trying to move Singapore to the place it enjoys today. I rated the book 4 out of 4 stars.

[Braunsucre]

Sigfried's Smelly Socks by Len Foley and I rated it 4 out of 4. Almost made me puke though.

[capricornius16]

I just finished reading Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin. I gave it 3 stars out of 4.

[Speedreaderonthemove]

The last book I read was 'sharp objects' by Gillian Flynn. It was definitely a 4 star (5, if i could rate any higher) book. the twists and turns are so intense. Her description of the main character and the events that occur feel intense and fast paced. Hands down one of my top 10 mystery books!