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.

عبقرية محمد
عباس محمود العقاد
4/5 stars.



صلّى الله عليه وسلم، خير الخلق.

أول مرة اقرأ للعقّاد، وما أجملها من ساعتين قضيتها في قراءة ماكُتِب عن خير الخلق بأفضل الحروف من العقاد.

تكلّم العقاد عن الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم من عدّة نواحي، مثل محمد الزوج، محمد الصديق، كان الكتاب يذكر القصص التي تدّل على الجانب الذي يتكلم عنه، ويرّد على المشككين أيضًا فيه.

الكتاب كان ممتع جدًّا، اللهم لك الحمد.

الأسطورة
غازي القصيبي
٢/٥
لا يرتقي لمستوى باقي كتابات غازي القصيبي لكن استمتعت به

Book: XVI
Author: Julia Karr
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adventure
Finished Date: 04.June.2012
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review: interesting but could have been written better.

≈ First, I appreciated a book with a good premise or base for its story, especially when it comes to the dystopian genre, as it distinguishes itself from the rest of genre-books. XVI was one of those. I appreciated the originally of the idea and aspects of it too. However, It lacked the intensity and thrill these genre books I think should provide. ≈

Book: The Surgeon
Author: Tess Gerritsen
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Finished Date: 05.June.2012
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review: enjoyable and sometimes VERY cringe-worthy

≈ The first book is told from many perspectives, but mostly it was from Detective Moore's POV. The mystery was nicely done for this type of serial killers hunt. At first, I thought I knew who that guy was but it surprises me in the end. However, the writing was very detailed, which made me skip some unimportant paragraphs and just get to the point. ≈

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets
By: J.K.Rolling
5/5
I used to be a big fan of the movies in general, but now after reading the books it turned to be the that i was fooled! the books are so much better so much better!!!

Book#48


Title: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

I remember reading this book when I was much younger and not getting past the 100 page mark, but I can easily rate it at 4/5 now with my 2nd read. I particularly enjoy how all the characters are ridiculously flawed which one way or another lead to what you haven’t been expecting but not the least surprised.

Book#49


Title: How I Live Now
Author: Meg Rosoff

I would honestly give it 3.5, but since that’s not available, I gave it 4/5. The story line is captivating and funnily just like how life persists; things happen and you strive to survive. It did unsettle me too, with the troubles of the worlds I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how WWIII strikes. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t get into details on what caused what, but the vagueness is what adds that much needed authenticity to the story line. However, the ending seemed rushed, which is what lowered its grading in my opinion. I’d still recommend it though.

عشرة أمور تمنيت لو عرفتها قبل دخولي الجامعة
د.ياسر عبدالكريم بكار
٣/٥


الكتاب بشكل عام مفيد بالنسبة لأي شخص مقبل على الجامعة أو مازال في الجامعة. ستجد الكتاب يركز على نقاط مهمة بالنسبة لمن سيدرس خارج مدينته (وهي غير مهمة بالنسبة لي لكن استمتعت بالاطلاع عليها ربما آحتاجها يوما ما). لكن الكتاب فيه معلومات بعضها غير جديد (بالنسبة لي على الأقل) مثل أسباب مشاكل النوم و أنماط التعلم.
ما استفدته من الكتاب هو :
١) التلخيص في الدراسة الجامعية مهم
٢) الاستفادة من الدفعات التي تسبقني
٣) الصيف يجب استغلاله في العمل بمجالي أو التطوع بدل من الأترام الصيفية\
٤) المشاركة في نوادي الجامعة والأنشطة

1)Looking for Alaska by John Green.

5/5
A great book that very well articulates the emotional turmoil of teenagers without overdoing it. John Green is an awesome writer. I particularly love LOVE the way he quotes books and other works of literature and infuses them into his work. Makes up for a cultured read with and a colorful reading experience.

The characters are very well built and strongly individualized. I loved Miles, and I loved the depth and the progress of his character throughout the story. I have mixed feelings towards Alaska and won't clarify any further as anything I'd say would be a spoiler.

and to think that this is his first book! Spectacular and VERY impressive if you ask me. I've read my share of first books ad this one I have no reservations over any part of the story whatsoever. The book was written by a professional and I did not find myself stopping to think that this part or that,simply, shouldn't be.

In short, some books with fancy labels that promise they're award-winning bestsellers and therefore you are bound enjoy them turn out to be one big failure act. This is one of the rare ones that aren't


2)Insurgent by Veronica Roth
4.5/5

The ultimate drawback of having a great first in the series book is coming up with a sequel that does not disappoint. If I rated books according to where they are standing relative to the rest of the books in a series I would've given this a 4. It doesn't quite live up to my expectations. Disappointed? A word too strong in this case but gets the idea across; the first book is far more interesting and enjoyable. It probably has something to do with the setting. Back then it was a race, a competition filled with justified action and thrillers and blossoming friendships. This one though, I found hard to swallow some of the arguments. Most of them were downright silly I find myself rolling my eyes at Tris.

Now don't be disheartened! Its still good! The story is still good. I just thought that some moments were hard to digest. A bit childish. But what matters the most is that its fairly enjoyable when you turn a blind eye to certain events. It still definitely is worth your time.My favourite part is(view spoiler)[ Peter's transformation! We get to see him in a completely different light that adds depth that this novel lacked in some parts-namely Four's and Tris's fights- was covered by the character progression we see in Peter.I am pleasantly surprised by the different levels we get to see him in (hide spoiler)]And I absolutely can't wait to get my hands on the next one.

Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I literally, just right now, put down this book. And I'm glad to find I liked it.

Ever since Elsewhere I've been a little miffed at Gabrielle Zevin, to be honest. And I'd figured All These Things I've Done had been a lucky shot, or a break, and I hadn't really looked forward to this sequel. And if I was nitpicking, I'd say the language was a bit cold at times, or that the book finished with so many questions left unanswered, that a lot of our interaction with the characters was cut short, focusing only on Anya and making everyone seem like an accessory to the narration more than anything else, that (view spoiler)[ Imogen's death was short and brief and pointless, while Leo's coming back from the dead felt like a rehash of the character just when you'd reconciled yourself to his death (hide spoiler)]. But I won't. I'll just say it was very difficult for me to put down the book, that I enjoyed it throughout, and I'm sufficiently entertained enough to give it a four star rating, and feel impatient about the third book, which I'm sure exists.

I'm terribly behind on the 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge, so I'll cut this review short. Off to read The Woman Who Died a Lot next!