52 Books in 52 Weeks (2012) discussion

"In this thread, everyone will post their reviews/opinions of the book they have read this week AFTER you rate/review it on your page. The purpose of this is so everyone can see what you read this week and read your review without having to visit each profile. Some of you have their profiles locked, so this saves you the trouble of unlocking it.

ANY COMMENTS THAT ARE NOT RELATED TO THAT MATTER WILL BE DELETED.

The format will be like this:

Name of book.
Author.
n/5 stars.

"Your simple opinion/extended review/one word that expresses what you thought of the book. GO CRAZY! Anything counts. Don't feel pressured."

Link to your review.

Also, this allows us to be organized, so even if a member didn't log in for about a month, they can add the book they've read to the appropriate thread.

THANK YOU ALL!


EDIT:
As I've mentioned in the guidelines, one word or a simple opinion counts as a 'review'. I only called it that because Goodreads calls it that."


Now let's see your achievements, awesome people.

أبوشلاخ البرمائي
د. غازي القصيبي (رحمه الله)
2/5 stars.



أول كتاب اقرأه لـ غازي الله يرحمه، ويبدو أني اخطأت!

الكتاب تكلم عن أبوشلاخ البرمائي واللي هو على اسمه كذّاب وبشيء محترم، الله يرحمه الدكتور غازي كان عنده طريقة ممتعة في إنه يدخل بعض الدروس الحياتية أو المفيدةأو حتى بعض التلميحات البسيطة اللي تخلي القصة مفيدة قليلًا، مرّت فترات في الرواية كانت مملّة وبعض التكرار المملّ.

The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.


This was a fun and quick read following the 'readathon' of David Copperfield. I remember watching some of the BBC TV series many years ago and I also watched the new movie a few years ago. This is a funny book and also very imaginative and original.

I also found more than a few similarities between my own style of writing and that of the late Douglas Adams. Will I ever be as good as him? That is the question.

If you want a quick, hilarious and relaxing read, this could be one for you.
I am hoping to catch up on the rest of the book series soon.


4/5

برما يقابل ريا وسكينة
عمر طاهر
٣/٥
مجموعة مقالات ساخرة لـعمر طاهر .. مسلية ولكن بعضها مليء بالملل .. لم تعجبني بعض الاشياء فيه .. او الكثير لكن لن اكذب بانه نجح في رسم الابتسامة على وجهي :)

Book: The Wrong Mother
Author: Sophie Hannah
Genre: Crime, Mystery
Finished Date: 07.Mar.2012
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review: It's a really good book otherwise. Has witty dialogues and nice flow of story.

≈ I had so much expectations & sadly, they weren't met mainly 'coz of the length considering how uncomplicated the case is. ≈

The Truth About Forver
Sarah Dessen
3/5

I can't figure out why this book is my favorite from this auther. I'm still thinking about the story even though I'm reading another book.

I don't like Macy - right from the beginning; she was so unhappy with Jason (even before she knew it), I don't know how she put up with him.

Another person I hated: Macy's mother. She was selfish. She couldn't even let her own daughter be happy.

I liked reading the parts with Delia's catering business because it was always interesting to see what they messed up each time, and how they solved it; I like their work, the feeling you get from the type of job that keeps you so busy you can't think about anything else.

Wes's sculptures looked beautiful in my head.

Book #12
Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros
3.5/5

I love a book that I can relate to, as well as one with a unique storyline. This book falls under both categories. I just couldn't put it down. It's a book for everyone, especially all you romantics out there. Full of love, wit, and "digital intimacy". I loved it!

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

The ABC Murders by Agatha christie

Sometimes murder is as easy as ABC but this time Hercule Poirot seems to be faced with a homicidal maniac and clues seem to be few and far between. Poirot receives a letter that informs him that there is going to be a murder in Andover and Mrs Ascher is found battered to death behind her shop counter. Next young Betty Barnard is strangled on a beach in Bexhill and then Sir Carmichael Clarke is killed in Churston. Why are each of the bodies found with a copy of the ABC railway guide and who the heck is the mysterious Alexander Bonaparte Cust?

I have read a few Agatha Christie novels over the years and every time I am convinced I will solve the case and pin point the murdering swine but of course yet again I failed! In fact this time I was nowhere close probably because this one is a little bit different. Instead of having a murder committed in a house or on a train or on a boat we have a series of murders that don't appear to be linked. In this book there does appear to be a lack of clues that you can normally find in any Christie book but in many ways it is much cleverer than the others.

I would probably say that it is an avarage Agatha Christie romp and enjoyable but nowhere near as good as the likes of the fantastic 'Crooked House' or 'Murder on the Orient express.' I haven't been too well this week, suffering from a horrible viral infection that is currently sweeping through the rest of my family ( except my dog, lucky git!) so I wasn't really up to reading but I plodded on.


3/5

Stephen F. Kaufman

3/5 stars
March 6, 2012

As the title suggests, this book is about the art of war and military strategy but it can be applied on almost everything.. Some of the texts are common sense but after all, it is an ancient book with so much wisdom.. Liked it..


صفي الرحمن المباركفوري

4/5 stars
March 7,2012

كتاب يستعرض سيرة الرسول محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم بأسلوب علمي وبمنهجية بحثية بحتة.. يسرد الكاتب الوقائع والأحداث كما هي بدون أسلوب روائي أو انحياز..
استمتعت بقرائته واسترجاع تفاصيل السيرة النبوية وجوانب حياة أفضل الخلق عليه الصلاة والسلام.. لكن شعرت بالملل قليلاً من الإسهاب في تفاصيل الغزوات وربما هذا ما جعلني أقضي وقت طويل في قرائته..

يستحق القراءة!


ألفة يوسف

2/5 stars
March 10, 2012

عنوان الكتاب مُضلل فهو لا يتحدث عن المرأة أو عن حديث "ناقصات عقل ودين" كموضوع أساسي له ، بل هو مجموعة من الفصول تتناول بعض الآيات القرآنية والأحاديث النبوية بالتحليل النفسي على حد قول الكاتبة.. قد لا أتفق مع الكثير مما جاء به الكتاب ولكن من الجميل الإطلاع على آراء مختلفة وجديدة، على الأقل بالنسبة لي..

* توقعت أن أجد التفسير الراجح لحديث "ناقصات عقل ودين" في الفصل الرابع من الكتاب، ولكن الغريب أن الكاتبة أخذت به بمعناه الحرفي..

Book#15


Title: Lolita
Author: Vladimir Nabokov

3/5

The book encompass the ravings of an obsessive pedophile, Humbert Humbert. It's filled with cringing material, dark humor, and utter release from morality.

Book#16


Title: The center cannot hold
Author: Elyn Saks

I gave it 4/5

Such an inspiring read, she literally excelled at everything she put her mind to despite her psychological difficulties. I honestly could not put it down.

Book#17


Title: Asking the right questions, a guide to critical thinking
Author: Neil Browne

4/5

The book had great tips on how to approach literature. It was also concise and to the point, with a good number of examples and exercises (at the end of each chapter). I was looking for something that will not take too much of time with too much details, as I just needed a high-level guide to critical thinking; I even summarized the whole thing in 3 pages which I've been using as a reference with my own literature.

Book#18


Title: The human genome, a user's guide
Author: Julia Richards

4/5

What a fun informative book! I only bought the books for specific chapters, but ended up reading the whole thing as it got me curious. If you're looking for something to get you started with genomics, this is the book for you.

Bitter End
By Jennifer Brown
4/5

Almost was a 3 but I bumped it up cause it was more like a 3.5. I liked it but not as much as Hate List, her first novel. Her characters are realistic and the scenarios are scary but she handles them in a classy way. Wish she had more books out!

It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want to Be.
By Paul Arden.

It's fast to read and has some Business related ideas.

Falling Together by Marcia de los Santos

4.5/5

A sweet breezy light read that managed to occupy my mind for the whole time I was reading it. A heart racing friendship-turning-to-love story that made my heart ache with every turn of a page. An adventurous journey filled with vivid images that made me (SPOLIER ALERT) pine for just one moment, alone all by myself, on one of those islands in the Philippines she described. I found myself closing my eyes every now and then to picture an incident the writer successfully managed to make it unfold pleasantly without going over the edge as not to become sickly sweet.

Only thing I didn't like is that Cat. No matter how sweet she supposedly is, I just don't buy it. Self-centered cannot be, in this world or any alternative world, be translated into cuteness, period.

I did not mark it down a point though, because she wasn't really the centre of the story- and rightly so. I love stories about friendship. Even more, I love friendships that turn into more than that, family, love, ..etc. The way she described their gravitational friendship, puling them towards each other, protecting each other, was truly captivating, that's why I overlooked that glitch of a friend.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

الشفاعة لمصطفى محمود
3/5

تناول الدكتور إشكالية موضوع الشفاعة، ونفى كلياً فكرة الشفاعة استدلالاً بثوابت قرآنية وتناقضها مع مرويات الأحاديث النبوية في كتب السيرة. كتاب أحدث الكثير من الجدل واستقبال غاضب من شيوخ وأئمة. معلوماتي حول الموضوع مو كافية حتى أتعمّق في الموضوع لكن أعتقد الدكتور اخذ الموضوع بكل موضوعية وعقل منفتح. أعجبني جداً ويدعو للتفكّر.

Title: Forbidden
Author: Ted Dekker with Tosca Lee
2\5

I've never read anything similar to it. It was fast, somewhat expected, and had a lot of unanswered questions; some things just need to be explained.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk




Everytime I read a Chuck Palahniuk book and didn't like it, people would tell me: "But try Fight Club! You'll love that one I'm sure." Which is why I'm writing this review right now.

So, this book. To be honest, two days later and I'm still undecided, which is why I'm leaving it unrated. I'm actually in quite a conundrum about how I feel about it. On one hand, I hate the characters. I don't know what it is about Palahniuks that rub me the wrong way, they just do. I can't relate, I can't imagine I'd even be interested in sharing the same air space. I don't feel like picking the book up and reading it again. On the other hand, the way the story went was very very smart. I can see why it made such a good movie (which I haven't seen yet. I know, I know, don't hit me. I wanted to read the book first).

Do I recommend this book? Perhaps. It's good to cross it off your list. Maybe one day when I've exhausted my library I'll give it a reread and rate it.