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

[Redlegs]

I don't want to say too much about 120 Days of Sodom by Marquis de Sade. I just couldn't finish it, which is only the second time I've not been able to see a novel through to the end.

I can handle crude language, I can handle graphic sex, I can handle some kinky stuff, but this was just depraved to the absolute extreme.

And because it is only about sex, it is repetitious and very quickly boring as well as vile. I didn't enjoy a single moment of the parts of the book that I read.

1 star out of 5

[Ally Robles]

The Fault in Our Stars. It was a magnificent teen-romance drama, great for anyone who loves A good tear-jerking book. 5/5 stars.

[ShareTheGift]

I finally read Ironbark Hill by Jennie Linnane. I really liked the story. It was humorous and heartbreaking and she has a very good gift of pulling you into the story. I rate it 3 out of 4 stars.

I chose something that is a little lighter for the current book I am reading. Sometimes after a heartbreaking story I need to go for a completely different genre.

[Redlegs]

So Big by Edna Ferber, winner of the 1925 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, is reasonably typical of American novels dealing with developments in society during the period around the turn of the 20th century.

A mix of rural and urban life, the heroine of So Big is Selina DeJong, nee Peake. As a naive youngster needing to earn a living after the death of her gambler father, who left her little, Selina takes up teaching in the rural community of High Prairie, which comprises mostly Dutch truck farmers who work very hard to eke out a subsistence living, and yet have a strong sense of community.

Selina eventually marries the stoic but stubborn Pervus DeJong, raises a son Dirk (nicknamed from his childhood So Big), until her husband dies of illness and she is left with the full responsibility for the struggling farm business.

The latter part of the book contrasts the attitudes of Selina and Dirk, and picks up on the theme of beauty which was introduced early in the novel. The Dutch farmers were mightily bemused when Selina declared the rows of cabbages as 'beautiful' when she first arrived in High Prairie.

Selina continues in her autumn years as an active, hard working woman committed to farm, while Dirk is more attracted to the softer world of money, comfort, quality clothes, society functions and superficial relationships.

Ferber's writing is elegant and understated, gently rolling out a tale without undue moralising, presenting the realities of a life of rural toil, but showing the emerging urbanisation and development of large cities and their associated commerce in a modernising America.

Definitely a fine piece of work. 4.5 stars out of 5.

[jibby9]

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.

Strange, uncomfortable, hilarious, tragic, and heartwarming. 5/5 and would recommend for readers who love quirky characters.

[Redlegs]

I just finished The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum. It was a light-hearted little diversion, and it is easy to see why it has remained a children's favourite for more than a century.

3.5 stars out of 5.

[Redlegs]

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is classic American novel from 1850 that is fairly well known.

Hester Prynnne is forever condemned to wear a scarlet letter A (for Adulteress) on her clothing for having a child out of wedlock in a New England Puritan community.

Hester bears the shame stoically, raising her child, refusing to identify the father of the child and also keeping secret the identity of her true husband who has joined the community.

It is a tale of morality, human alienation, religious zealotry and the dangers of assuming the right to judge the actions and motives of others.

I found the introduction of the novel too long and self-indulgent, which was not a positive beginning. The main body of the story was fair, but I found Hawthorne's writing style too flowery for my taste.

The ending was melodramatic and weak - this could have been a much better novel than it was. 3 stars out of 5

[trina215]

I just finished reading Betrayal In Blue by Mark M. Bello and I gave it a 4/4 rating. It was an excellent book

[Brooklyn_joy]

The last book I read was your a badass and how to stop doubting yourself and live the awesome life you deserve. It was very good and mind opening

[Gigareads]

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen. I rate it 3 out of 4 stars. I didn't enjoy it as much as her other books that I have read, it certainly took me a lot longer to read it than her other books (which I couldn't put down). But I still enjoyed it.

[Jmteachmom]

The Interpretation of Murder
I would rate it as a 2 out of 4. The plot was very confusing and too much jumping around. It was like 4 stories in one.

[Sahar Majid]

The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury. It's a story about a man with tattoos that come to life at night, each telling their own unpredictable story. I'd definitely rate it 4 out of 4.

[Redlegs]

Mort by Terry Pratchett is the fourth in the extensive Discworld series.

It is also another fine example of a light-hearted piss-take on the fantasy genre, full of word play and in jokes, making for easy and enjoyable reading. It never takes itself too seriously.

In this instance, Mort, a young man with few talents and limited job prospects, is taken on by Death as an apprentice, once he is assured that being dead is not an essential requirement. As Death becomes a little bored with his eternal task, and considers alternative careers, he entrusts some tasks to Mort to carry out alone.

Of course, Mort manages to bungle the death of a princess, leaving her and the world in a state of limbo that needs to be rectified.

With the help of Death's adopted daughter Ysabell, his 2000 year old manservant Alfred, and various other forces of wizardry, things are set to right, after a fashion.

Just good fun, and very easy to appreciate the cleverness of Pratchett's writing and to marvel at his cunning sense of humour.

3.5 stars out of 5

[TheRVMom]

I just finished Undead Redhead, by Jen Frankel. I rated it 3 out of 4 stars but would have gladly given it 4 stars had it not been for the lack of editing.

[Zoe303]

I recently finished How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk, and it went right into my 4-star shelf! It's an excellent book that I recommend to all parents out there whose children are giving them a hard time.