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The last book I read was An Abundance of Katherines. I liked it and would rate it 3 out of 5 stars. I just don't think it lives up to John Green's previous and latest books, but I cant blame him, his previous book also his first book was LFA, so I understand why I didn't really love AAOK.

I have been reading the Chief Superintedent Simon Serrailler series by Susan Hill. I'm on my 5th book..but not in order. They're pretty good. They re about a family of which most are doctors, but Simon has chosen the law enforcement path. Very entertaining. 4/5

The last book I read was "Carter Beats the Devil" by Glen David Gold. I read three or four books a week and I generally read every book by authors that I like. Mr. Gold has only written two books, which is kind of depressing because "Carter Beats the Devil" was a great book, especially for a first book. He kind of reminds me of a young Ken Follett in the way of his prose and the research, etc. I will say that the first 3/4 of the book was great, but he kind of lost his flow in the last 1/4, almost as if he was in a hurry to finish. Having said that, it was overall a very good book. The book is about a magician, that met with president Harding, just hours before his death. A secret service agent suspects Carter in the president's death. The book deals with Carter's past, how he became a magician, his present life as a magician, discussing in detail his illusions and how they are accomplished. This is all wrapped up into what part Carter may have played into Harding's death. It is clear that a great deal of research went into the writing of this book, but only in keeping the book as historically accurate as possible, keeping the magic as accurate as possible (I have been a magician for 30 years, which is what brought me to this book, and I can say magicians will find this book credible in the world of magic). I would give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. I would have given it 4 if he would have maintained his flow in the last 1/4 of the book. I have read that his second book is just as good, but I have not yet found it.

The last book I read was Long Time Coming by Edie Claire. It was a quick read and I enjoyed it. 3/5 stars

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
I really liked this book and loved the style of writing. Set in the US it covers a period from 1930s to the 1960s and is an amazing insight into the lives of descendants of slaves and shines a bright light on the casual cruelties of slavery. The book centres on one family with the ot extraordinary surname of Dead - which is shock enough until you read the first names, Macon & his siter Pilate, daughter Corinthians and Reba (short for Rebecca) ... all suitably biblical. How the names were derived and how a people are separated from their names, their history and their identity is the concern of this book. It is no surprise that Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993
Excellent 4/4*

The Maze Runner by James Dashner.
I've given 3 and a half GKeys.

Its a good story. Its interesting.
But it has its flaws. No matter how much I liked the story.

It was slow and its one of the only books that doesn't makes me involved emotionally...
Which is for me a very important part when reading a book.

I finished The Russian Concubine yesterday and gave it 5 stars. Although I found a couple of negative things to mention, at least one of them could be put down to personal taste. The writing, plot and characters were very good and the history aspect was excellent, which, I decided, overrode my few niggles.
Thank you, Fran, for urging me to continue with the book when I had reservations before even starting it. You were right about the history it involved.

milliethom wrote:I finished The Russian Concubine yesterday and gave it 5 stars. Although I found a couple of negative things to mention, at least one of them could be put down to personal taste. The writing, plot and characters were very good and the history aspect was excellent, which, I decided, overrode my few niggles.
Thank you, Fran, for urging me to continue with the book when I had reservations before even starting it. You were right about the history it involved.

My pleasure, glad you liked it.

Cassandra Clare - City of Heavenly Fire
4/5

the last book I read washunted: a house of night novel and I give it a 5/5

I just finished Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. I really enjoyed it and gave it a 4 out of 5.

"Orphaned, penniless, Jacob Jankowski jumps a freight train in the dark, and in that instant, transforms his future.
By morning, he's landed a job with the Flying Squadron of the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. By nightfall, he's in love.

In an America made colourless by prohibition and the Depression, the circus is a refuge of sequins and sensuality. But behind the glamour lies a darker world, where both animals and men are dispensable. Where falling in love is the most dangerous act of all…"

The Odyssey by Homer. 4.5/5

You have to be very focused when you're reading it to follow the story, but it is a great one!

The last really good book I read is called "Strike Three" by Joy V. Smith. I rated it five stars without hesitation. If you like stories about surviving World War III, you will enjoy reading this book about how scattered groups of Americans reconnect and rebuild our country.

I just finished The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin . I give it a 2 out of 5.

Once again I have the unpopular opinion of a book. At first I didn't like the main character and then he showed some promise. He did touch some lives but it wasn't as "big" as the book reviews make it sound. This was also one of the few books that is told in the present and then bam one chapter later it skips about ten years. I'm glad I didn't have to read those ten years though as they were pretty boring. This book was just OK for me. On a good note I did learn about some other books to check out.

Just finished two books recently.
Fearless by Cornelia Finke I would rate 4 out of 5 stars fun YA fantasy romp. It was a good sequel to Reckless the first book in the Mirrorworld verse.
The Last Ship by William Brinkley I've watched the TNT series and was curious how the book told the story. The answer would be very differently from the series but no less compelling. I admit it was a bit of a slow read for me the majority of it was very introspective. I would rate it as 3 out of 5 stars just because I found it very slow going in parts and the ending was not quite what I was hoping for.