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

Use this forum for book and reading discussion that doesn't fall into another category. Talk about books, genres, reading issues, general literature, and any other topic of particular interest to readers. If you want to start a thread about a specific book or a specific series, please do that in the section below this one.
Post Reply
User avatar
Lynn08
Posts: 6
Joined: 24 Apr 2018, 11:02
Currently Reading: Apollo's Raven
Bookshelf Size: 6

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

Post by Lynn08 »

The Shack by Wm. Paul Young. 4/5. The book was a fast read. Hard to put down. Very interesting take on God. It was an emotional read as well, but I enjoyed it!
User avatar
Cristal2408
Posts: 53
Joined: 26 Apr 2018, 17:06
Favorite Book: Magic Shifts
Currently Reading: El honor perdido de Katharina Blum
Bookshelf Size: 463
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-cristal2408.html
Latest Review: Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin
Reading Device: B00TSUGXKE

Post by Cristal2408 »

The last book I read is called "Tempus" by Tyra Lynn and I rated it 4/4 stars. I just have to warn that the first book is great but the author never published the second and last installment of the series.
It's no use to go back to yesterday... I was a different person then.---Lewis Carrol from Alice in Wonderland
User avatar
Shrabastee Chakraborty
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 2500
Joined: 23 Mar 2018, 00:38
Favorite Book: The Warramunga's War
Currently Reading: Timewise
Bookshelf Size: 1147
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-shrabastee-chakraborty.html
Latest Review: The Infinite Passion of Life by D.J. Paolini

Post by Shrabastee Chakraborty »

I last read 'Do Not Ask' by Elaine Williams Crockett. A gripping tale that has got the entire package one expects from a thriller.
User avatar
alaskaforreal
Posts: 8
Joined: 01 May 2018, 23:37
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by alaskaforreal »

I just read Blonde Indian by Ernestine Hayes and had mixed feelings about it. It's a memoir of growing up in SE Alaska (where I'm from) and her childhood was fascinating to read about. I also liked how she put in Tlingit (her tribe) folklore. Some sections were riveting, beautifully written. And heartbreaking. Her older years outside of Alaska made me lose interest, though. She wrote them in a toneless monotone, it seemed. At the same time she presented the people she met in very negative terms, and herself as well. The book didn't liven up and appeal again until she returned to Alaska. Maybe that's just my bias?

One interesting thing she did that I hadn't seen before, was that she regularly stepped out of her first person recounting, to speak from a man's point of view and tell his memoir as well. I'm new to memoir, though, so maybe this is a thing? It was jarring at first but then became interesting.

All in all I'd give the book a 4/5 rating.
User avatar
Redlegs
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2144
Joined: 12 Jan 2012, 05:08
Favorite Book: Lord of the Rings
Bookshelf Size: 300
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-redlegs.html

Post by Redlegs »

The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt is certainly a unique and original story that is alternately confusing, fascinating, funny and sad.

Sibylla is a single mother determined to raise her young son Ludo to be some kind of intellectual prodigy. She schools the boy at home, while typing magazine manuscripts to earn a living, teaching him a multitude of languages, advanced mathematics, complex scientific concepts and giving him a broad background in all of the ancient literary classics.

The one secret that Sibylla keeps from Ludo is the true identity of his father. This leads Ludo into a series of interactions with several men with whom his mother has had some past association. His tactic is to arrive on their doorsteps (after a period of stalking them) and gain entry under some peculiar pretext, and then claim to be the man's son.

One of the repeated themes throughout the novel is Sibylla's obsession with the Kurosawa film, The Last Samurai. She watches it repeatedly, deeming it to be a masterpiece, one of the best pieces of cinema ever produced. Dialogue and scenes from the movie are spattered throughout the text, and are used as connecting devices between chapters.

Despite the fact that there is an extensive use of foreign languages (Greek, Inuit, Japanese, just to name a few), none of which I can read or understand, I found the novel to be always engaging, keeping me just a little off balance and wondering just where it would go next.

I can appreciate that this might not be to everyone's taste, that many might find it erratic, confusing or pretentious, but I couldn't help but admire its sheer originality and offbeat humour.

4 stars out of 5
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
User avatar
DATo
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 5771
Joined: 31 Dec 2011, 07:54
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by DATo »

The History Of World War 2 (6 volumes) by Winston Churchill

Yes, I have finally finished it.

It was an amazing read by the only principle player of all the world leaders of the time who wrote extensively upon the subject. Thus we see the history of the war up close and personal in the form of what could almost be described as a chronological journal. The minutiae and anecdotal material alone was worth the time I invested in these books.

Churchill once said, "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it." and though this masterwork was indeed written in his own hand there were many times when the reader is put off by his comments or actions during the course of the war. It is no secret that he was writing this tome with the intention of explaining away any instances when his actions during the war might be called into question; further, he was writing these explanations with a view to the future election in which he hoped to be reinstalled as Prime Minister. There are times when the reader must ask, What in Christ's name was he thinking when he did (or said) that?

Nevertheless, this is a fascinating and very important piece of literature. I learned a great deal about the behind-the-scenes machinations of the war which are described in amazing detail. The book contains much of the actual correspondence between Churchill and other major personalities of the era. The narrative also includes the Pacific theatre of war and not just Europe.

Despite the personally aggrandizing slant Churchill at times places on the narrative I still give it 5 of 5 stars.

/
“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”
― Steven Wright
User avatar
Redlegs
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2144
Joined: 12 Jan 2012, 05:08
Favorite Book: Lord of the Rings
Bookshelf Size: 300
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-redlegs.html

Post by Redlegs »

DATo wrote: 03 May 2018, 02:50 The History Of World War 2 (6 volumes) by Winston Churchill

Yes, I have finally finished it.

It was an amazing read by the only principle player of all the world leaders of the time who wrote extensively upon the subject. Thus we see the history of the war up close and personal in the form of what could almost be described as a chronological journal. The minutiae and anecdotal material alone was worth the time I invested in these books.

Churchill once said, "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it." and though this masterwork was indeed written in his own hand there were many times when the reader is put off by his comments or actions during the course of the war. It is no secret that he was writing this tome with the intention of explaining away any instances when his actions during the war might be called into question; further, he was writing these explanations with a view to the future election in which he hoped to be reinstalled as Prime Minister. There are times when the reader must ask, What in Christ's name was he thinking when he did (or said) that?

Nevertheless, this is a fascinating and very important piece of literature. I learned a great deal about the behind-the-scenes machinations of the war which are described in amazing detail. The book contains much of the actual correspondence between Churchill and other major personalities of the era. The narrative also includes the Pacific theatre of war and not just Europe.

Despite the personally aggrandizing slant Churchill at times places on the narrative I still give it 5 of 5 stars.

/
Congratulations- I will have to put this one the long term tbr list 😀
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
User avatar
DATo
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 5771
Joined: 31 Dec 2011, 07:54
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by DATo »

Redlegs wrote: 03 May 2018, 03:40
DATo wrote: 03 May 2018, 02:50 The History Of World War 2 (6 volumes) by Winston Churchill

Yes, I have finally finished it.

Despite the personally aggrandizing slant Churchill at times places on the narrative I still give it 5 of 5 stars.

/
Congratulations- I will have to put this one the long term tbr list 😀
Redlegs - I own the movie, The Last Samurai and enjoyed it very much. Is there much difference between the movie and the book?
“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”
― Steven Wright
User avatar
Redlegs
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2144
Joined: 12 Jan 2012, 05:08
Favorite Book: Lord of the Rings
Bookshelf Size: 300
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-redlegs.html

Post by Redlegs »

DATo wrote: 03 May 2018, 03:51
Redlegs wrote: 03 May 2018, 03:40
DATo wrote: 03 May 2018, 02:50 The History Of World War 2 (6 volumes) by Winston Churchill

Yes, I have finally finished it.

Despite the personally aggrandizing slant Churchill at times places on the narrative I still give it 5 of 5 stars.

/
Congratulations- I will have to put this one the long term tbr list 😀
Redlegs - I own the movie, The Last Samurai and enjoyed it very much. Is there much difference between the movie and the book?

Hi DaTO, the film starring Tom Cruise and the book by Helen DeWitt are completely unrelated. It is a quirky book that you might enjoy.
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
User avatar
DATo
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 5771
Joined: 31 Dec 2011, 07:54
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by DATo »

Redlegs wrote: 03 May 2018, 05:03
DATo wrote: 03 May 2018, 03:51
Redlegs - I own the movie, The Last Samurai and enjoyed it very much. Is there much difference between the movie and the book?

Hi DaTO, the film starring Tom Cruise and the book by Helen DeWitt are completely unrelated. It is a quirky book that you might enjoy.
Many pardons Redlegs. I saw your topic heading and just assumed it was the same story before reading your post.
“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”
― Steven Wright
Jonida
Posts: 99
Joined: 03 Sep 2017, 14:11
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 13
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jonida.html
Latest Review: The MECE Muse by Christie Lindor

Post by Jonida »

The last book I read was " ARCH OF TRIUMPH". A great novel, a powerful story. 5/5 and it's not enough.
Haute_Coffee
Posts: 305
Joined: 05 Feb 2018, 17:01
Currently Reading: Pimp
Bookshelf Size: 368
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-haute-coffee.html
Latest Review: A Stone of Hope by Janet S. Kleinman
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by Haute_Coffee »

I just finished The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. It’s fantasy but it has dark undertones, like murder and treason. 5/5
User avatar
Missdebby
Posts: 1
Joined: 01 May 2018, 06:52
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by Missdebby »

the impossible is posssible By Jhon Manson This book is fantastic. I love it.
User avatar
Maja Saveva
Posts: 19
Joined: 06 May 2018, 15:09
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by Maja Saveva »

The perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Good book. Practically explains what teenage life is like.
3/5
User avatar
Allie_L
Posts: 65
Joined: 07 Apr 2018, 23:18
Currently Reading: The Name of the Wind
Bookshelf Size: 25

Post by Allie_L »

The last book I read was The Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb and I give it 2.5/5 stars.
I was actually pretty disappointed with how boring I found the book, especially since it seems to be a fairly popular one in the fantasy genre. However I didn't find myself getting attached to any of the characters and thought that the assassin lifestyle in this book to be pretty mundane compared to some of the other similarly themed book I've read.
Post Reply

Return to “General Book & Reading Discussion”