52 Books in 52 Weeks (2011) discussion

Hello everyone! :D

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. :D

Am I the first to post here? well, here goes...

Book: 'Witch and Wizard'
Author: by James Patterson and some other author who's name wasn't given a lot of space on the cover (^^_)
3 stars (as in, I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. ANYONE. I'm serious. this is a badly written book. but i have little to no taste when it comes to literature sometimes, so i had fun reading it.)

i don't know how to find the link so I'm just going to copy paste the blog thing... is that okay?

Be forewarned, it's my lengthiest review yet:D and SPOILER ALERT

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Whit and Wisty Allgood were normal kids living a normal life, until the day they were attacked in the middle of the night and captured by the soldier of the New Order.They are accused of being a witch and wizard (doh, read the title) and sentenced to execution without even a fair trial. The book tells the story of their escape and their fight against the oligarchian new regime of N.O and their battle against The One who is the One.



Now, I am left with a few mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it's quite a 'commercial' book, written in order to create a series people will get it excited about and buy (a la Twilight and Percy Jackson, to name a few titles that want to pick up on the HP craze. Pendragon also comes to mind, what with there being one evil dude with a ton of super powers capable of brainwashing people). Many things were left unexplained (Who is The One who is the One, and where did he come from? How did the New Order win all these elections without anyone noticing something wrong? Why didn't Wisty's powers manifest earlier? How could a whole nation, one frequently happy to cry out about freedom of speech on any little matter submit to a complete brainwashing?)

I felt the book was a little too fastpaced, with Wisty and Whit discovering their powers and days later learning how to control it without anyone's guidance.

The N.O government reminded me a bit of 1984's big brother, and to top it all off, the whole thing was sort of an ad to Wiccanism and its 'awesomeness'.

Also, on retrospect every other character aside from the two protagonists were very one dimensional,with little to no depth whatsoever. Janine, one of the temporary leaders of the Resistance is described in one sentence, and suddenly she has a crush on Whit. Jonathan, a guy who was mentioned once in passing, with no personality description whatsoever (he did the make-up for Whit and Wisty's rescue mission)is brought up again as the traitor who informs N.O. of the rescue mission. Celia is brought in and then forgotten. Every character from the N.O. regime is cookie cutter evil stereotypes from Matron to the Visitor to the goonlike guards. and there were times i felt the chapter was just cut off, as if the author forgot to finish it. The book was filled with writer gimmicks and trick hats that just smacks with, well, commercial-ness...



All in all, I should give this book one star. But I didn't. In fact, upon finishing it, I gave it 4 stars, but reduced it to 3 after writing this review. And I think the reason behind that lies in the fact that despite its many many flaws, I enjoyed Witch and Wizard. I'm even planning to buy the sequel! It really was a page-turner, and it's easy enough to read in an hour or so without much brainpower.It would make a good movie too...



I definitely wouldn't recommend this book to people who cannot enjoy properly written books. But if you just wanted something to wile away the time (and you happened to be very forgiving, then what the heck, read this book anyway(^^_) I know I would.



ps. I do hope the author doesn't sneak in the Wiccan references in the sequel. That might be a deal-breaker.



View all my reviews

oh! look, its done that author/book thingy for me:D oh, well...

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Title : Who Moved My Cheese?
Author: Spencer Johnson.
2/5 stars.

"Most of the points in the book are things that we already know,
but it kind of puts them out there.
It sounded more as a children book though. "

Link to review.

The Lovely Bones
Alice Sebold
4/5 stars.

As lovely as the title of the book. I wasn't satisfied with the ending though... who cares. I liked it ^o^

Zeitoun
Dave Eggers
4/5 stars

I normally am not a fan for non-fiction book but this was a very good read, slow but beautifully told and an unbelievable story. I liked the way author put the story into words, I admired the Zeitoun's way of reacting and their personalities. So basically like what I have read...

Title : قراءة القراءة
Author: فهد الحمود
1/5 stars.

"reminds of the subject " maktaba " in our high school which was a mere fail "


My review

Life on the Refrigerator Door

I expected it more interesting and longer, but I liked the idea of it, it's simple.
I didn't like the ending that much though.

Title :زئبق
Author :إيميل نوثومب
2/5

frankly I didn't like this book..the author had a good story but she just ruined it ..she did put two ends for the book..both of them were stupid and emotionless...I couldn't feel any thing while I'm reading it..the story line was interesting but she didn't use it well...no emotion at all :/
two stars for some quotes I liked

Title : HTML5 for web Designer's
Author : Keith, Jeremy
5/5

Memoirs of a Geisha
Arthur Golden
3/5 stars.

I haven't decided to what extent I like/dislike this book. That will take some time, and research. Detailed review soon, inshaAllah! :D

Aside from that, it was an enjoyable read, especially the first half of the book; the second half felt hurried and deviating from the point. If you, like me, know nothing about Japanese culture/Geisha and would like to learn, this is the book for you. Takes you to a fascinating world which you have a hard time believing exists. Now to what extent this world is true, (there have been a lot of complaints that this book lacks authenticity)... That is something I would like to know.

Title:Home: A Memoir of My Early Years
by Julie Andrews

Gave it 3/5 stars. Liked it pretty much because I like her a lot and it was interesting hearing how she got her start. I really like the bit about her meeting Walt Disney and how he took her around Disneyland on a golf cart :)

قرية ظالمة
محمد كامل حسين
٥/٥

قرية ظالمة هي دراسة إنسانية وتوغّل في ضمائر البشرية في إطار قصصي مبهر وممتع (وفي الحقيقة، مخيف أحياناً). يتمحور الكتاب حول الأيام الأخيرة للسيد المسيح وهنا يغوص محمد كامل حسين في شخصيات ذاك الوقت ليرينا طريقة تفكير العقل البشري وإختلاف الحضارات رغم تعايشهم في زمن واحد (بني إسرائيل، الرومان، واليونانيون). كتاب رائع ينير العقل بما فيه من حكمة ودلائل واضحة على عظمة الله وآثار الإعجاز الإنساني.

Title:The Double Helix
by James D.Watson
Gave it 3/5
This is an auto-biography by James Watson.The opening was written by William Lawrence Bragg which he stated and emphasized the fact that this is an auto-biographic not a historic book of the DNA discovery.I know that this book as he said told his views and opinions at the time,but how he attacked Rosalind was preposterous.I like the way he wrote the book,it was clear.The story of the "greatest discovery of the 20th century"makes this book amusing.You know the story,events and characters behind this discovery.How this field is both competitive and fast.Also,it's nice to see how their initial thoughts about the DNA(it structure,what it's is exactly and what's its use) were and how the methods each one was trying to know the DNA structure.I also,like how many of the scientists were affected by Schrödinger's book "what is life?"it's nice to know their young characters.The science parts were great because many were wrong but he wrote it and that makes the reader know how their thoughts were and begins from the wrong parts until the right conclusion.I'm giving it three out of five because his way (even if it was wrong as he stated later) of writing about Rosalind Franklin and not giving here enough credit(especially that her data was used by him and Francis).The epilogue he had written was kind of an apology for Rosalind Franklin.Nonetheless,this is one the important nonfiction books that I recommend to anyone who's interested in science or history because it tells the story of the discovery of DNA.

Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe

4/5 stars
As an Australian living and traveling Europe, i can relate to Bill Brysons adventures. This was the perfect book for me. The spontaneous tourist who finds himself in all kinds of situations is thoroughly entertaining.

Simple Passion by Annie Erneaux
3/5

This reminded me a lot of Marguerite Duras' The Lover, which is a far better book. It's got the same straightforward, honest appraisal of a woman's actions within an intense -- though that's Erneaux's word, not mine -- affair, but I feel it lacks the insight and, well, intensity, Duras brings to the subject. I would be interested, since it wouldn't be too much of a waste of time given the book's brevity, to read it in its original French. I suspect it may pack a little more punch that way.

The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe

4/5 Stars
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

حنان اللحام
5/5
من أجمل الكتب التي قرأت
"كتابٌ لن يندم من يقرأه! يلقي الضوء على جوانب لم نفكر فيها من قبل من السنة النبوية، ويربط الأحداث بطريقة تزيد من فهمها..
كما أن تأملات الكاتبة تستحق التأمل
كِتابٌ لا يُفَوَّت
ستجدُ نفسك تصلي على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بكثرة وأنت تقرأ هذا الكتاب..
فكثير من المواقف والأحداث لم تجد لها تعليقا أبلغ!
"
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Name of book: بنات إيران
Author: ناهيد رشلان
4/5 stars

"رواية واقعية عن الكاتبة تصور فيها بساطة مع تعقيد المجتع الإيراني مع ذكر لبعض مشاكل السياسية التي حصلت في فترة عيشها .. حبيته الكتاب أول رواية عربية أقراها من 3 سنين "

I was Amelia Earhart.
Jane Mendelsohn.
4/5 stars.

This is a fictional story about the american legend 'Amelia Earhart', the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. I didn't expect it to be this good.

A quick, easy and pleasant read. Highly recommended.

The Last Lecture
Randy Pausch
5/5 Stars

This book is, in simple terms, life-changing! I enjoyed every minute I spent reading it, had me laughing, crying and even left me speechless! Highly recommend others to read it, just take your time with it, and enjoy every second of it!

The Reversal
Michael Connely

3/5 stars

This book is a page turning best seller. I expected more than it was but all in all it was a great read. I had no remorse for the scumbag in the storyline. :)

Book Nemesis
Author Agatha Christie
3/5

This book shows Miss Marple towards the end of her career as an amateur detective. She may be physically less able than she used to be but her mind is still as sharp. When presented with a mystery to solve she cannot help herself and accepts the challenge.

This story was first published in 1971 when Agatha Christie was in her eighties and it has dated tremendously. The story itself still captures the imagination but the pacing is slow and the language is old fashioned.

Book: Zeitoun
Author: Dave Eggers
4/5 Stars

A wonderfully written, heartbreaking story. It'll make you really sad, sickened and raged at the failure of America's government. To realize that there are definitely countless examples of such stories out there, is just frustrating.

Shannon T. Boodram
3/5

Heartfelt book in its attempt to highlight the "real" side to sex. Unlike the sexual education taught in schools. The contributions are very open, honest and a tad bit informative.
The downside to the book is that many of the contributions were somewhat repetitive and became boring in parts.

Neefoo wrote: "The Last Lecture
Randy Pausch
5/5 Stars

This book is, in simple terms, life-changing! I enjoyed every minute I spent reading it, had me laughing, crying and even left me speechless! Highly recomme..."
I've been curious about that book for awhile, I may have to try it now! Also - Kingdom Hearts = <3

Name of book. The Lost Symbol
Author. Dan Brown
5/5 stars

"greatly enjoyable & recommended"

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

Im a bit on a reading spree this week.. Pre-finals syndrome apparently :p
A Vintage Affair
2/5 stars

a book which I bought for all the wrong reasons, It was on the discount rack, and I really liked the cover..
Its full of information about vintage cloth history which I liked. Generally,the book is okay, good for reading while waiting or in the car.. It wont bore you to death, but it could have a better ending.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Dareen wrote: "
Book: Zeitoun
Author: Dave Eggers
4/5 Stars

A wonderfully written, heartbreaking story. It'll make you really sad, sickened and raged at th..."
i have read the same one this week i am glad u find it a goodbook as well, it was a BOM in one of the groups and i am vwry glad i joined goodreads and had a chance to read this one

Book: Chronicles of Narnia: The lion, the Witch And the Wardrobe.
Author: C.S. Lewis.
3.5/5 stars.

A page turner, a light read, entertaining and easily digested. Recommend it for those who are preparing for finals yet trying to keep up with the challenge :).

Book: Looking for Alaska
Author: John Green
3.5/5 stars

A short read but not quite what I'd expected (and I mean that in a good way).

Our narrator is a not-so-popular teen from Florida who wants to escape the monotonous drudgery of public school life by seeking the "Greater Perhaps" at a boarding school. And once he arrives he gets mixed up in just the kind of crowd his parents had warned him against. So far it seems like a typical coming-of-age novel, right? But it wasn't to be, even with the usual fare of drinking, smoking, and sex that accompanied it. The characters are not so stereotypical and their quirkiness makes them quite bearable if not lovable. For me it was the introspective second part of the book, the After section, which saved it from a 2-star rating.

Link to review.

Book: The Museum of Innocence
Author: Orhan Pamuk
2/5 stars

This is my first experience reading Pamuk, and I wish I could say it was a good one. The first 50 or so pages really sucked me in and I was expecting a fantastic read, but as I continued with the book it just became repetitious and boring. There is no doubting the man can write. Pamuk really knows how to take words and craft them into something beautiful, but in the end this book just wasn't for me.

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

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Emil Frankl

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Recommends it for: Everyone; especially nihilists.


I don't know where to begin. I cannot do this book justice by merely stating my opinion of it, and I cannot tell you how much it changed me and changed my view of my existence. I've always suffered to find meaning, and have always believed in the absurdity of life. Maybe life IS absurd, who knows? But I now get to give it meaning. Yes, you can give meaning to going through something absurd.

Dr. Viktor Frankl was a brilliant, brilliant man. I am surprised I haven't heard of him before reading this book (am I the one to blame? Perhaps.) Let me start by saying that this is one of the rare, rare books where there's absolutely no excess. Every word in it is important, and every passage changed one thing or the other about me. I am not overselling this book, I am just shocked at how could written text move me, since I am one of those people who is not easily convinced at all, not even by myself.

The book is composed of two main parts; the first part is an autobiographical story written by Dr. Frankl about his experience and observations, REAL observations, at the Nazi death camp. It was very emotional, and soul-enriching. If not for its psychological, scientific value, then for its historical one. The second part, which is 'Logotherapy in a Nutshell', is where Dr. Frankl explains in a scientific manner (but an easily understood and accessible one) what he knows, and things concerning existential matters and logotherapy in general. I especially liked how he is not submitting to the psychoanalysis cookie-cutter method of dealing with patients (I was going to mention what bits of the book gripped me the most, but then I had to list over half of the titles used. You should just read it.)

One of the big things that completely got my attention and won an "AHA!" moment, was when he explained how most of psychotherapeutic systems are flawed when depicting the human being as this being who has his own issues and complexity and inner battles that were going on within his psychological system, that he is completely detached from the outside world, and that he must do everything from within to heal himself. [He speaks of this in the interview below].

I think I will pick up the book again sometime soon. For the time being, I recommend watching his interview on YouTube (3 parts): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EIxGrIc_...




View all my reviews

Book:The five people you meet in heaven.
Author:Mitch Albom
2/5 stars

Its cool how it shows you that we could be connected and affect the lives of people we dont even know.I didnt like how he imagined heaven though and who cares what the meaning of ur life is if ur in heaven?! I expected it to be better.

Book: عيسى ابن الانسان
Author: جبران خليل جبران
2/5 stars

it was good, but I expected more informations about jesus.

Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated

By: Alison Arngrim

4/5


First book of the year! When I lived with my mother we used to watch Little House on the Prairie almost every afternoon. I loved reading the biography of the women who played the intolerable Nelly. Reading this book added so much depth to the show for me, and TV shows in general. I was never bored reading it, which is rare for me when reading biographies. Now I just want to go watch some of the clips from Little House that Arngrim brought up in her book.

Title : Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It
Author: Gary Taubes
3/5 stars.

"قاري تاوبز، مؤلف الكتاب، هو كاتب علمي متمرس. قد يكون أشهر كتبه هو كتاب "Good Calories, Bad Calories" الذي سلط الضوء من خلاله على الكثير من الأخطاء الشائعة في المجتمع الطبي حول ثقافة السمنة وزيادة الوزن. وبينما كان ذاك الكتاب مطولاً ومخصصاً ...moreقاري تاوبز، مؤلف الكتاب، هو كاتب علمي متمرس. قد يكون أشهر كتبه هو كتاب "Good Calories, Bad Calories" الذي سلط الضوء من خلاله على الكثير من الأخطاء الشائعة في المجتمع الطبي حول ثقافة السمنة وزيادة الوزن. وبينما كان ذاك الكتاب مطولاً ومخصصاً للأطباء والباحثين في مجال التغذية، إلا أن هذا الكتاب هو محاولته لتبسيط أفكاره للقارئ العادي.

يهاجم الكتاب الفكرة السائدة التي تقول أننا نسمن وتزيد الدهون في أجسامنا بسبب كثرة الأكل وقلة الحركة. يتابع هذه الفكرة تاريخياً وكيف انتشرت، وماهي الأدلة التي يقول بها أصحاب هذه الفكرة، ولماذا هي خاطئة.

يذكر المؤلف أن علم التغذية في النصف الأول من القرن السابق الميلادي كانت لديه الفكرة الصحيحة عما يسبب السمنة. وأنه حدث هناك تغيير بعد الحرب العالمية الثانية نحو الفكرة الخاطئة التي تقيس السمنة بعدد السعرات الحرارية التي يتناولها الشخص، وتلك التي يحرقها. والفكرة التي صاحبتها أن الدهون ضارة، وأن تقليل تناول الدهون يقود إلى تخفيف الوزن.

يتناول المؤلف تجربة علمية وتجربة طبية تلو أخرى، ويحللها كلها ويبين أهميتها ودلالاتها. ويعرض أنه لا توجد أي ادلة ثابتة على أن تخفيف تناول الدهون أو تقليل السعرات الحرارية يؤدي إلى تخفيف الوزن أو أن العكس يؤدي إلى زيادة الوزن بشكل مباشر.

الفكرة التي يطرحها الكاتب قد تكون جديدة على البعض، ولكنها بدأت تلقى القبول في المجتمعات العلمية من جديد في السنين الماضية، وإن كانت لم تصل إلى الحد المطلوب.

يغوص الكاتب في علم الهرمونات ليشرح كيف تتكون الدهون في الجسم البشري، ومالذي يسبب ذلك. خلاصة هذا الموضوع هو أن هرمون الإنسولين هو المسؤول عن تكوين خلايا الدهون الجديدة، وهو المسؤول عن تخزين خلايا الدهون الموجودة للمزيد من الدهون، كما أنه هو المسؤول عن أن مختلف خلايا الجسم تستخدم الجلوكوز في الدم كوقود لصنع الطاقة، وتتوقف عن استخدام الدهون البسيطة التي يمكن أن تحرقها بدلاً من أن تستمر بتخزينها.

الإنسولين يفرزه الجسم عندما نشتهي الطعام، ويفرزه مرة أخرى عندما نبدأ بتناول الطعام. لكن أكبر كمية هي أثناء وبعد الهضم. العامل الذي يتحكم في نسبة الإنسولين المفرز هو كمية السكريات (الكاربوهيدرات) الموجودة في الطعام. فكلما زادت السكريات في الوجبة (الطحين أو الدقيق وكل ما يدخل في تكونه، السكر، النشويات...الخ) كلما أفرز الجسم المزيد من الإنسولين ليتعامل مع هذه السكريات. وهنا تكمن المشكلة الحقيقة والسبب للسمنة وكل الأمراض التي تتبعها.

يبين الكاتب أن تناول السكريات هو استحداث جديد نسبياً على البشر. فقد عاش البشر مئات الآلاف من السنين إما بالاعتماد التام على المنتجات الحيوانية، أو النباتية في مواسمها. ولم تكن السكريات نسبة كبيرة من طعامهم. وأن الثورة الزراعية قبل حوالي عشر آلاف سنة الماضية هي التي جعلت المحاصيل متوفرة على مر السنة. كما أدت سهولة نقل السكر والدقيق (أنها لا تفسد مع الزمن، ولا تهاجمها الجرذان) إلى انتشارها كعملة تجارية حول العالم، ومن هنا أصبحت متواجدة على موائد الحضارات البشرية المختلفة.

أحد الأدلة التي يذكرها الكاتب على هذه الفكرة هي دراسة شملت حوالي 170 قبيلة معاصرة تعيش خارج الحضارة البشرية - إما في غابات، أو في مناطق نائية، أو غير ذلك. فيبين مثلاً أن طعامهم تندر فيه السكريات، وبعضهم لا يأكلون السكريات أبداً (يعتمدون على الأسماك والحيوانات).

أيضاً في هذا المثال، يعرض الكاتب أن بعض هذه القبائل انتقلت لل��يش على النظام الغذائي الغربي السائد، وتبعاً لذلك بدأت وانتشرت فيهم الأمراض التي تسمى "الأمراض الغربية"، والتي منها السمنة المفرطة، أمراض القلب، سرطان الثدي، السرطان بشكل عام، بعض الأمراض العقلية مثل الزهايمر، وغير ذلك. وأن هذه الأمراض لم تكن موجودة أساساً لديهم قبل أن يغيروا نظامهم الغذائي.

يحشد الكاتب الأدلة والدراسات ليبين أن السكريات هي السبب الرئيسي والأهم للسمنة، وأنها شديدة الضرر بصحة الفرد على المدى الطويل. وأيضاً أن الحد من تناول السكريات هو أنجح طريقة لتخفيف الوزن. وأنها هذه هي التي كانت الفكرة السائدة لتخفيف الوزن لعشرات السنين، وأنها لا تزال هي الفكرة الصحيحة الوحيدة التي تفسر تعامل الجسم مع مافيه من دهون بشكل ثابت علمياً.


-----------------------------------

وجدت الكتاب مثير جداً للإهتمام، وقرأته في يومين. دعني أقول أني إستمعت إليه لأني اشتريت النسخة من الكتاب الصوتي من موقع Audible.com. طولها 8 ساعات تقريباً. أي قصير أو متوسط الطول.

أحس أني تعلمت الكثير من الكتاب سواءً حول فكرته الأساسية، أو في المباحث المختلفة التي سلكها للوصول إلى الفكرة الأساسية.

Book: Nefertiti
Author: Michelle Moran
Rating: 2/5



This was a rather terrible book, to be quite honest.

In spite of the title and summary, this book is narrated from Mutnodjment's (Mutny's) perspective, and deals with her life and how she lived with her sister, Queen Nefertiti. And I'm sorry to say that Mutny was a spineless pushover and a perfect example of a Mary Sue. Not exactly the character whose head you want to be in for an entire novel.

Moran protrayed Nefertiti as an ambitious woman who only cared to have her name live on in the coming generations. The young queen, though loved by her people, was selfish and silly. Her father, the Vizier Ay, adored her and let her have everything she wanted while secretly ruling the empire as best he could. Her husband couldn't even wipe his nose unless Nefertiti said so. And Mutny, the narrator, was basically a slave to her older sister. The first half of the book consisted of "Mutny, go and fetch me some juice" or "Mutny, am I not beautiful tonight?" It was sickening, because throughout it all, Mutny just did as her sister told her and "loved" Nefertiti in spite of the abuse.

When Nefertiti poisoned Mutny and caused her to have a miscarriage, Mutny still loved her sister. When Nefertiti sent Mutny's husband to the front lines of a losing army, Mutny still loved the queen. And no matter how bad things got, Mutny always obeyed exactly what her father told her to do. I mean, family loyalty is one thing, but endangering your life for a sister who wouldn't hesitate to throw you to the wolves? Beyond irritating.

In addition to that, Mutny had no apparent faults. She was neat and tidy, never lost her temper, always forgave Nefertiti, loved her husband and never quarelled with him. Her only ambition in life was to life a quiet life by the Nile and grow herbs and have children. There is no such person in this world who is that perfect.

Yet I can't fault Moran for her historical accuracies. After studying Akhenaten's life and vision, I think this is a very realistic portrayal of Egypt during the Amarna period. And Nefertiti's character was intersting. I would hardly expect such a famous and great pharaoh to be shed in such a bad light. She was the type of character you hate, but at least she had faults, unlike her sister.

Needless to say, I was disappointed by this book, and I don't think I'm going to read it again.

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

Title: Deception Point
Author: Dan Brown
Rating: 3/5



Dan Brown's books are the sort that frustrate me in the best of ways. Because he constantly switches perspective and always ends on a cliff-hanger, it's very hard to feel that you're making any progress in the plot. So Rachel figures out that she's being tricked, but then Michael says, "That could be one theory, but..." And then we're rushed off to D.C. to see what the president is doing. Very frustrating. That style of writing always me as a reader get sort of frantic, like I have to figure out what's going on right now. If Brown didn't weave such an interesting plot, I probably would have burnt the book months ago.

I really do like the characters. They're all complex, dynamic people with real problems and real histories. And because of the gradual unveiling of these characters, the reader doesn't feel rushed or info-dumped. It's a natural progression of events. This was most notable with Michael's character, Gabrielle's actions and motivations were characterized perfectly.

One thing I didn't like about this book was the climax. The reader was set up to believe that a certain set of characters and their motives were the driving force behind the trickery, and that's fine. It wouldn't be a good suspense novel if we knew who the antagonist was halfway through the second chapter. But when the culrpit was revealed, I felt that Brown was grasping at straws. The motivation was all wrong, the personality didn't click. It just didn't seem right to me.

But if the climax was mediocre, the resolution was brilliant. After everything has been revealed, there's always a calm in the novel's plot. It doesn't slow, but the energy sort of tapers off. The last few chapters were filled with humour and light-hearted romance, which I thought was a welcome relief after 680 pages of constant cliff-hangers and 'Ah! What happens now?'

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

Book:Tomorrow : Adventures in an Uncertain World
Author:Bradley Trevor Greive
5/5

Cute and unique

Title : Social Intelligence
Author: Karl Albrecht
4/5 stars.

Definitely it's the type of books that changes you, gives you the hints and ways to improve your social skills, to be a social intelligent person.
full of example to simplify the concepts.

I felt that I have to read some of it's part again, and to keep the book always around.

Title; The Horse And His Boy.
Author: C.S. Lewis.
3/5 stars.

اسم الكتاب: الايام لا تخبئ احداً
المؤلف: عبده خال
التقييم: 3.5/5

في بداية الرواية..كانت الشخصيات و الاحداث مكركبة عندي، كنت مشوشة لدرجة انني كنت ساتوقف عن استكمال هذه الرواية
لكن ما ان مشيت في اقسامها حتى بدأت كل الشخصيات توضح لي
احلى ما في الرواية ان احداثها كانت في مدينتي و هي جدة بأحيائها مثل الهنداوية و الخاسكية.. و اسماء معروفة من اعيان جدة
رواية جميلة تحتوي على كثير من الاحداث المتداخلة نوعا ما و بأسلوب رائع يجذبك لكي تقرأ اكثر

Book: com نسيان
Author: أحلام مستغانمي
3/5 Stars

I got curious about this book after reading its quotes everywhere, so I borrowed it from a friend (for some reason, it's banned here). When I first held it to read it in the lobby of our hospital, a friend approached me saying "Who's the guy you're trying to forget?" with a wink. I've been asked that question everytime I pulled it out!
You don't have to need the book to read it. I enjoy her writings, this one was no different. It got dull at some points, but it was enjoyable with a great amount of wisdom.

Title : Getting Things Done (Abridged Audiobook read by author)
Author: David Allen
5/5 stars.

The main premise of the book is that you need to move all tasks you have to do out of your mind and into some external system. This is to let the mind focus on a single task rather than worrying about all other things that have to be finished.

The version of the book I used is abridged (2:49 hours) but I think it was enough to convey the idea. The unabridged version is 7 hours.

Khawla wrote: "Book: Chronicles of Narnia: The lion, the Witch And the Wardrobe.
Author: C.S. Lewis.
3.5/5 stars.

A page turner, a light read, entertaining and easily digested. Recommend it for those who are pr..."

Amazing book,have u read the magician's nephew?, it's before the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe according to its chronicles

- Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson
- Mitch Albom
4/5 stars.

This book was recommended to me by several people, I enjoyed reading it.Glad to start my challenge with this one.

رأيت رام الله
مريد البرغوثي
4/5

"وقفتُ على الباب كالمتسوِّل..
هل أطلب الإذن من غرباء ينامون
فوق سريري أنا... بزيارة نفسي
لخمس دقائق؟

هل أنحني باحترامٍ
لسُكَّان حُلْمي الطفوليّ؟ هل يسألون:
مَن الزائرُ الأجنبيُّ الفضوليُّ؟"

كان هذا المقطعُ من قصيدة محمود درويش في رثاء إدوارد سعيد يرن في أذني طوال مدة قراءتي لهذه الرواية التي يحكي فيها الشاعر
الفلسطيني مريد البرغوثي قصة عودته إلى رام الله بعد ثلاثين سنة من ابتعاده القسري عنها.

عندما يكتب الشاعر, أي شاعر, كتاباً نثرياً فلاتتوقع أنه سيكون كتاباً عادياً. سيكونُ الكتاب مكتوباً بلغةً شاعرية حتى تظن في بعض الأحيان أنك تقرأ ديواناً نثرياً.سيكون كتاباً غنياً بالصور التشبيهات العميقة والرائعة والموجعة إما بجمالها, وإما ببشاعتها. وهذا الكلام كله ينطبق على كتابنا هذا.

هذا من ناحية اللغة, أما من ناحية المضمون فقد تناول مريد القضية الفلسطينية من خلال رواية حكايته هو, حكايته مع أهله وأحبابه, مع مسقط رأسه "دير غسّانة", مع سته "ام عطا" التي ماتت ولم يسمح له بحضور جنازتها, مع أخيه "منيف" الذي مات في محطة مترو في باريس ولازال في نفسه شيْ من رام االله التي لم يستطع الحصول على التصريح بالدخول إليها رغم محاولاته
التي امتدت عشرات السنين, مع رفاق الجامعة في مصر, مع رفاق القضية في فلسطين, ومع أبناء الوطن ورفاق الألم والغربة في الشتات.
تناول القضية بهذه الصورة الشخصية أعطاها صبغةً حميمية جداً لتجعلها قريبة إلى النفس وتجعلك تقرأ أحداث القضية الكبرى وكأنك تشاهدها, وكأنك عشتها بنفسك: هزيمة 67, خطاب النكسة وتنحي عبدالناصر والمظاهرات التي استمرت لأيام تطالبه بالتراجع, خطاب رابين في البيت الأبيض الذي أبكى به العالم بادعاءاته الكاذبة, وأخيراً, وليس آخراً بالخيانة والخيبةالعظمى :تطبيع مصر مع إسرائيل.

أعطيته 4 من خمسة لجفاف اللغة في بعض المواضع حتى تكاد تحس أنك تقرأ كتاباً مترجماً, وضعف الترابط في مواضع اخرى. وللاستفاضة في نقاط وإهمال أخرى.

http://bit.ly/iiphym

الكتاب الأسود / The black book
by Orhan Pamuk

1/5 stars

Unlike "Istanbul - Memories and the City". This book is boring. I skipped some pages and I rarely do that. I don't recommend it.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76...

Her Fearful Symmetry

Audrey Niffenegger

4/5

An original, outrageous, and thoroughly enjoyable ghost story.

ROOM
by Emma Donoghue
4/5

"The first half of the book is extremely exciting, but the second half is ok, not that interesting. The book is told by the 5 year old child. It was a good book I enjoyed reading it, but I expected much more."