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

[Rosalita467]

I just finished reading The Girl Who Knew DaVinci. I gave it 3 out of 4 stars

[Redlegs]

A Tale of Two Cities wasn't my favourite Charles Dickens novel, but it still had plenty of those wonderful elements that one comes to expect from this icon of British literature.

The fact that Dickens chose to write a tale about perhaps the two greatest cities in the world at that time, London and Paris, against the backdrop of the French Revolution, one of the greatest populist uprisings in history, provided the author with a wide tableau and unlimited scope for an epic novel.

And yet, I didn't feel like he really captured the essence of the Revolution, and especially its reverberations across the English Channel. I don't think he really understood it.

And I also found, surprisingly, that the characters in this novel weren't, in general, up to the usual standard one comes to expect from Dickens. The lead female character, Lucie Manette, was particularly insipid - a good girl devoted to her father and her husband, but otherwise meek and bland. Even her husband, Charles Darnay, central to the plot, was never fully developed.

Dickens actually did better in this novel with some of his minor characters - Miss Pross and Jerry Cruncher were especially colorful and fascinating players. And the ever-knitting Therese Defarge was a brilliant portrait of a thoroughly obsessed and potentially evil woman.

I found the novel a little slow to get going and there were a couple of flat patches around the middle, but the story eventually built to conclude with a sense of tension and excitement.

Overall, it was enjoyable as most Dickens novels are, but it didn't fulfill its potential to be a truly epic novel. 4 stars out of 5

[Fozia-Bajwa]

I have finished reading, Smith by Sam B Miller II and I have rated it 3 out of 4 stars.

[Arisha Hossain]

I just finished "Turtles All the way down" by John Green.
John Green never fails to impress me. This time also I loved the book. It's very relatable and beautifully plotted. I would rate it 4 out of 5

[Oulababe]

The last book I read is Toni The Superhero. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.

[Redlegs]

Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis is one of those books so full of life, of joie de vivre, that is an uplifting pleasure to read it.

Set in Crete in the 1920s, and narrated by a man referred to only by Alexis Zorba as "Boss", it is a tale of hedonistic, almost reckless, adventure and living a full and joyful life. He meets Zorba in Piraeus, strikes up an immediate friendship, and they travel to Crete to work together on a lignite (coal) mine.

The two of them, with opposite natures and views on life (the narrator is bookish, conservative and socially reserved), interact with the locals, eat, sing, dance, and (for Zorba at least) pursue the local women.

For Zorba, notwithstanding his zest for life in general, for dancing, for music (he is an expert player of the santuri), is a lover of women, of the "female species" as he prefers to call them. "Behind each woman rises the austere, sacred and mysterious face of Aphrodite."

The plot, such as it is, matters little. It is a series of incidents and interactions, some wonderful dialogues over campfires with copious amounts of food and drink, regaling in tales of past adventures, and some parts devoted to the not so successful workings of the lignite mine.

What pervades the novel, apart from the Greek landscape, surrounding seas, the village life and the curious characters, is Zorba's zest for life.

He is something of a lovable rogue, not always honest or honorable in his actions. He admits to breaking all 10 Commandments and believes that if there were 100 Commandments, he would likely break all of them.

This is joyous stuff, not always rollicking fun, for it has its share of tragedy, sadness and quieter philosophical moments.

A classic worth adding to your reading list. 4.5 stars out of 5

[laneyboggs30]

I recently finished reading The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid. I rated it a 4 out of 4 stars. I truly thought it was an excellent read and highly recommend it. That doesn’t go for kids though. It’s definitely not appropriate for children due to some elements of crude language and substance abuse within the story. In any case, it’s really a page turner and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Go to my page if you want to read my full review! Happy reading!

[Debjani Ghosh]

I just finished The Embalmer by Vincent Zandri. I gave it a 3 out of 4. It's a fast-paced, action-packed murder mystery.

[Aaliyah2]

The last book I read was “Raising Boys” by Steve Biddulph. The book is so amazing honestly especially if you have a boy. The style is conversational and very informative. I give it 4/4 all day and recommend it to everyone!

[Keevan]

The last book I read was The Barnyard Buddies STOP for Peace by Julie Penshorn. I gave it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars.

[Keevan]

The last book I read was “Raising Boys” by Steve Biddulph. The book is so amazing honestly especially if you have a boy. The style is conversational and very informative. I give it 4/4 all day and recommend it to everyone!

I think I need to check this one out. Thanks

[Rain18]

Just got done with The Embalmer: A Steve Jobz Thriller by Vincent Zandri. I rated it 2 out of 4 stars. It was a quick and easy read. More of a crime novel than a thriller, the book is about a serial killer who embalms his victims while they are still alive. I love a good thriller and unfortunately, this was not that. It would pass the muster for crime fiction though, and does contain some violence, sex and gore - so this book would be for the mature crime fiction lover only.

[BeatrixPotter]

Second Suns: Two Trailblazing Doctors and Their Quest to Cure Blindness, One Pair of Eyes at a Time
I gave it a 4 because it was a good balance of story, learning and inspiration. Well written, but a bit lengthy.

[Lottie_Elsie]

Just finished Behind Closed Doors by Elizabeth Haynes
Best crime fiction I've read in a while!

[Redlegs]

Bring Larks and Heroes (Miles Franklin Award 1967) by Thomas Keneally is set in a fictitious penal colony in the South Pacific (but modelled on the convict settlement at Sydney) in the late 18th century.

The story focuses on two principal characters - Phelim Halloran, a soldier, and Ann, a servant, who Halloran deems to be his secret bride. The supporting characters are all deeply flawed and desperate with few redeeming features, with a primary focus on survival and the exercise of authority that comes with any form of power.

Justice, such as it is in the colony, is rough and arbitrary, and conditions are harsh and cruel. Indiscretions are punishable by the ultimate penalty, death, and the means are usually brutal.

Halloran and Ann become involved in a plot initiated by some local rogues to steal food from the colony store. Unfortunately, they are betrayed by an informer.

Keneally has written a brief but tough tale of a time and place with an elegance and visceral imagery that can be both beautiful and disturbing.

4 stars out of 5