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

[ariverax4]

I just finished reading If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your Buts: A No-Nonsense Guide to Happiness and Success by Mark L. Wdowiak. I'd give it 1 out of 4 stars - probably the worst book I ever read. But, it does make you think about who's capable of being an author and makes a good discussion point.

[Sweetp120]

Apollo's Raven by Linnea Taylor I gave it a 4 out of 4

[Redlegs]

How does one go about fairly and objectively reviewing a controversial novel like Wetlands by Charlotte Roche?

It begins with a discussion about hemorrhoids, and moves on to frank and fearless treatises on female genital hygiene, periods, various bodily discharges, including how they taste and smell and a lengthy dissertation on the nuances of anal sex. I think I learned some things I didn't really want to know.

Roche seems to have gone for a feminist liberation approach, rebelling against standards that have repressed women over centuries which dictate that they must be "sugar and spice and all things nice", ladylike in their behaviour and language and cognizant that certain things must never be discussed, even among the sisterhood.

But, ultimately, the framework for these ideas is very shaky indeed, and I don't believe Roche has succeeded effectively in her intentions.

The story is weak and the writing is nothing more than ordinary. By being so extreme in the frankness of the content, it has actually detracted from its effectiveness. There is very little here except the shock value of its explicitness.

Even the sub-plot about Helen's desires to bring her separated parents together is flimsy and never gains any traction.

So, as objectively as I can assess it, I am giving this one a fail. It has only curiosity value, not literary merit. 2 stars out of 5

[fernsmom]

The last book i read is McDowell by William H. Coles. I gave it 4 out of 4 stars just as I had on a previous book by this author The Surgeon's Wife. McDowell is a great story that I feel many readers will like that shows the main character, a well-known surgeon who is arrogant, and basically not a nice person go from one extreme to the other. The author really knows how to grab the reader's heartstrings and has the ability to make readers really feel for the characters as the story progress. Great book, look forward to reading another from this author.

[Adair McClain]

I just finished The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead and I felt really let down. I LOVE Mead's books, but this one never really grabbed my attention. Mostly felt like a story about Barbie dress-up with the Barbies being sold to the highest bidder. Meh. Not my flavor this time. I gave it a 2/4 stars.

[chelhack]

The last book that I read was McDowell which is actually this month book of the month. I really enjoyed this book, and that there was little;e to no errors in it. I gave this book a 4 out of 4-star rating.

[Micki Scherwinski]

The last book thank read was “heaven is for real”. It was a great book, I was in a very similar situation and it helped me realize that I was not the only one. It’s crazy how life can change so quickly but the book helped me out and I give it a 10 out of 10.

[Radiant3]

The last book that I read was The Engines Woman's Light by Laurel Anne Hill. I gave it a 4 out of 4 stars. Great story and I really enjoyed reading it.

[Audrii_12]

The last book i read was “hot to change the way you think” by Amy Sharp

I’d rate it 5 stars... i love reading about positivity. Also i likef how it was relatable because she used her real life situations in her book as well.

[Wvelkala]

‘Head Full of Ghosts’ by Paul Tremblay; I gave it 3.5/5 stars. It was a good book and I just didn’t think it lived up to the ‘hype’ of being a horror novel that Stephen King claimed frightened him. I daren’t go into more detail, lest I spoil it for someone.

[Jsovermyer]

Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner. I rated it 4 out of 4 stars. Very enjoyable.

[Redlegs]

The Getting of Wisdom by Henry Handel Richardson (born Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson) is an Australian classic, first published in 1910, which has some historical literary significance, but overall, it left me a little flat.

It is said to be partly autobiographical, because, just like its heroine Laura Rambotham, the young Ethel Richardson was sent to an exclusive girls school in Melbourne from her home in the country. But Laura is apparently nothing like the author, and the events in the novel are mostly fictitious.

Laura is a very flawed character throughout this gentle coming of age story. She is never really grateful for her mother's sacrifices, lacks charm and grace, and is naively innocent to the point of having no sense of her true inner self.

The major flaw of this work is that Laura never seems to develop any redeeming or endearing characteristics, even at the end of her schooling. Very little, if any, wisdom was gained over these years.

The story was relatively dry, with no significant emotional or dramatic highlights, no relationships of any lasting consequence and no great epiphanies of insight.

Sure, Laura develops a few friendships, but they are mostly superficial and self-serving. There are mild hints of girl love, especially with the older Evelyn, but no unbreakable bonds of friendship are ever formed.

I'm not sure that Richardson really put her heart and soul into this one - it feels a bit rushed and superficial, and it could have been so much more.

3 stars out of 5

[CinWin]

I just finished A Passion for the Possible by Jean Houston. A must read for everyone who wants to realize their full potential!

[Melekwe Anthony]

I just finished Dracula by Bram Stoker
I rate it with 4stars
Despite the fact Stoker is explicit in his writing using detailed reports via dairies of his characters.
It seems rather too fictive how the professor's memorandum goes back to days in detail which makes it almost to belief he may remember.

[ea_anthony]

Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth

4 out of 4 stars